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

The road to the Kentucky Derby rolls through Turfway Park on Saturday when the starting gate opens for the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. The winner of the race will receive 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby and move into the top 12 of the Derby leaderboard. For Saturday the Ben Colebrook-trained Street Beast has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes odds. Fulleffort (3-1), Two Out Hero (7-2), Attfield (8-1) and Stop the Car (8-1) round out the top five choices in the odds among the 12 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes horses. Post time for the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes is 9:55 p.m. ET, with temperatures forecasted to be in the mid 30s 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 John Battaglia Memorial 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 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not Street Beast, even though he is the 5-2 favorite. "I'm going to take a shot against the favorite, Street Beast, who won't get the benefit of a soft early lead like he got in his last start," he says. Menez is not using Street Beast in his John Battaglia Memorial Stakes wagers.

However, Menez's top pick is a double-digit longshot who is "getting better with every race." Menez is including this horse in his 2026 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horse it is before making any 2026 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes picks of your own.

So which horse wins the 2026 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine NOW to get the top 2026 John Battaglia Memorial picks and bets, all from the expert who nailed last year's Kentucky Derby trifecta and exacta.