The 2026 Breeders' Cup—horse racing's equivalent to the Olympics—is quickly approaching, and the field for the $7 million Classic is shaping up to have a star-studded field.
Defending champion Forever Young, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, Pacific Classic winner Knightsbridge, Kentucky Derby hero Golden Tempo and Dubai World Cup conqueror Magnitude are all pointing to the race at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 31. In the Breeders' Cup Classic Future Wager Pool, which closes at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Forever Young has been installed as a slight 5-2 favorite over Sovereignty (3-1). Knightsbridge (6-1), Golden Tempo (8-1) and Magnitude (10-1) round out the top five choices in the pool.
But 5-2 is a short price to take on a horse in a race that is still weeks away. Instead there's a double-digit longshot who is capable of pulling off a big upset.
He is one of four double-digit longshots over the two-day, 14-race Breeders' Cup who are worth long looks at their current prices.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby.
Menez excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year he struck big on Fountain of Youth day, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648.
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