2026 Blue Grass Stakes odds, predictions, horses, time: Picks from expert who called last year's winner

Further Ado, who is trained by Brad Cox, can become one of the contenders for the Kentucky Derby when he leaves the starting gate in the 2026 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Further Ado entered the conversation for the Kentucky Derby after winning by 20 lengths in October, and followed that up with a win in November at the 2025 Kentucky Jockey Club. He finished second, however, in the Tampa Bay Derby. Further Ado is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Blue Grass Stakes odds. Reagan's Honor (5-2), Creole Chrome (8-1), Talkin (10-1) and Great White (15-1) round out the top five choices in the odds among the eight Blue Grass Stakes horses. 

Post time for the Blue Grass Stakes 2026 is set for 6:22 p.m. ET. Before making any 2026 Blue Grass Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing analyst Gene Menez. 

Visit our TwinSpires offer code review to see their latest offers and get started.

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 earlier this year, 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. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up. 

Now, with the 2026 Blue Grass Stakes approaching and horse racing odds on the board, Menez is sharing his 2026 Blue Grass Stakes betting picks and 2026 Blue Grass Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2026 Blue Grass Stakes predictions

One of Menez's 2026 Blue Grass Stakes picks has a big stipulation: He is backing Great White to finish second, but only if the rain holds off. 

"I'm going to take a different approach with these picks because of the uncertain weather conditions," Menez told SportsLine. "The appropriately named Great White is an enormous horse, weighing more than 1,300 pounds. He is 2-for-3 in his career and is coming off a victory over Fulleffort in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, a performance that looks even better after Fulleffort returned to win the Jeff Ruby Steaks last week. However, all three of his starts have come on the synthetic surface at Turfway Park, and there's no telling how he will handle the dirt.

"Most importantly there is rain in the forecast for late in the day on Saturday, and I don't want any part of a 1,300-pound horse in the slop. He's likely to sink in it and never come out. Great White is the pick to run second only if the track is dry." See who to back at SportsLine, and see the latest TwinSpires offer code here.

How to make 2026 Blue Grass Stakes picks, bets

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who is "set up to move forward" on Saturday. He also is high on a big double-digit longshot who is "doing well." Menez is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Blue Grass Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Blue Grass Stakes 2026, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Blue Grass Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Blue Grass Stakes.

2026 Blue Grass Stakes odds