2026 Colonial Downs morning line odds: Racing writer gives Pick 5 selections for Aug. 1

Saturday is Arlington Million day at Colonial Downs in Virginia, and there's an all-stakes Pick 5 that begins with the Reigh Count Stakes at 2:59 p.m. ET and ends with the Arlington Million. Before you make any picks, you NEED to know how SportsLine writer Gene Menez has handicapped the sequence considering what he pulled off earlier this year.

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.

Last year Menez put his handicapping skills up against the best horseplayers and finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country.

For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the Pick 5 beginning with the Reigh Count Stakes, made his picks and constructed his tickets. We can tell you that Menez is high on Verifire, a 7-2 shot in the Reigh Count Stakes, the opening leg of the Pick 5. "The scratches and outside post should help Verifire, who should find himself setting or pressing moderate fractions," he told SportsLine. Verifire is Menez's top pick in the Reigh Count and the only horse from the race on his Pick 5 tickets.

In addition, Menez is high on a double-digit longshot on Saturday. This horse "has back races that are good enough to win this" and could spice up the payouts. Menez is including this horse on his tickets, and so should you. You NEED to see Menez's analysis before making any selections.

So which double-digit longshot can win? And how has Menez constructed his tickets? ... Join SportsLine now to get selections for Saturday, all from the horse racing writer who finished 115th in the 2025 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge and hit the late Pick 5 at Gulfstream in February for $4,648.