One of the most prestigious races in horse racing takes place on Saturday afternoon when 12 horses enter the starting gate for the 2019 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The regally bred Tacitus has been installed as the lukewarm 5-2 favorite. Post time for the 1¼-mile race is 5:44 p.m. ET.

With such an evenly matched field set to enter the starting gate, you'll want to hear what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any 2019 Travers Stakes picks of your own.

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. Four years ago, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the 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.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2019 Travers Stakes field, made his picks and formulated his bets.

We can tell you that he is fading Mucho Gusto, one of the co-third choices at 6-1. In fact, he doesn't have Mucho Gusto in his top five.

Instead, Menez is high on a double-digit long shot hitting the board at a lucrative price. He's including this horse in his exactas and trifectas, and so should you. You NEED to see which horse it is before making any picks of your own.

So who wins Saturday's Travers Stakes? And what big long shot hits the board? ... Join SportsLine now to get Gene Menez's Travers Stakes analysis and exotic plays, all from the insider who has absolutely nailed the Kentucky Derby!