2026 Holy Bull Stakes picks, odds: Horse racing writer has best bets for Saturday's Kentucky Derby prep race

The road to the Kentucky Derby through Gulfstream Park picks up on Saturday when the starting gate opens for the 2026 Holy Bull Stakes. The Holy Bull Stakes is the first this year at Gulfstream to award Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis (20 for first, 10 for second and so on). For Saturday, the Todd Pletcher-trained Nearly is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the 2026 Holy Bull Stakes odds. Cannoneer (2-1), Incredibolt (9-2), Global Aviator (5-1) and Bravaro (8-1) round out the top five on the toteboard among the eight Holy Bull Stakes horses. Post time for the Holy Bull Stakes is 5:45 p.m. ET, with temperatures forecasted to be in the high 50s 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 Holy Bull Stakes picks or horse racing predictions.

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 in November, Menez 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 Holy Bull Stakes field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not Nearly, even though he is the 9-5 favorite. "He stretches out to turn turns for the first time just four weeks removed from a huge effort," he says. "At 9-5, he can beat me without my money." Menez is not using Nearly in any of his Holy Bull wagers.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "is bred to enjoy the distance." Menez also is high on a second horse who is a "talented runner." Menez is including these horses in his 2026 Holy Bull Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2026 Holy Bull Stakes picks of your own.

So which horse wins the 2026 Holy Bull Stakes? What second horse is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine NOW to get the top 2026 Holy Bull Stakes picks and bets, all from the expert who nailed last year's Kentucky Derby trifecta and exacta.