2026 Dubai World Cup picks, odds: Horse racing writer has best bet for Saturday's $12 million race

Reigning Breeders' Cup Classic winner Forever Young can become the highest-earning racehorse of all-time when the starting gate opens in the 2026 Dubai World Cup on Saturday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. A 5-year-old Japan-bred, Forever Young has earned more than $29.3 million in his career. With a win on Saturday he would surpass—at least temporarily—Hong Kong bred Romantic Warrior, who has earned more than $32.4 million but also is still racing. For Saturday Forever Young is the favorite in the Dubai World Cup odds, which range from 4-9 to 8-13 in overseas markets. Meydaan, Magnitude, Hit Show and Imperial Emperor round out the top five choices in the odds among the nine Dubai World Cup horses. Post time for the Dubai World Cup is 12:45 p.m. ET, with temperatures forecasted to be in the low-70s around post time. 

With several talented horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2026 Dubai World Cup picks or horse racing predictions considering what he pulled off last month.

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. 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 just last month, on Fountain of Youth day, he struck big, 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.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Dubai World Cup field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not Forever Young, even though he is the overwhelming favorite. "While Forever Young has a great chance to win, there is no point in putting a dime on a horse who's going to be 2-5 or even shorter," he says. Menez prefers another horse over Forever Young in the Dubai World Cup.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "is set up to run the best race of his life on Saturday." Menez is including this horse in his 2026 Dubai World Cup bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horse it is before making any 2026 Dubai World Cup picks of your own.

So which horse wins the 2026 Dubai World Cup? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine NOW to get the top 2026 Dubai World Cup picks and bets, all from the expert who hit the Pick 5 at Gulfstream Park for $4,648 just last month.