Blue Grass Stakes 2025 predictions, horses, odds, field, time, date: Surprising picks by horse racing expert

Chad Brown won the Blue Grass Stakes in 2024 with Sierra Leone, and he will try again with Chancer McPatrick when the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes gets underway on Tuesday at Keeneland Racecourse. Sierra Leone went on to be a betting favorite in the Run for the Roses and finished second by a nose to Mystik Dan. Chancer McPatrick is already garnering Derby buzz, so victory at the Blue Grass Stakes 2025 will further his case. Chancer McPatrick is 7-2 in the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes odds, while River Thames is the 5-2 Blue Grass Stakes betting favorite. Post time for the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes horses is 5:52 p.m. ET. With several talented three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Tuesday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Blue Grass 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 May of last year, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. Last November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 score.

For Tuesday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Blue Grass Stakes predictions

One surprise: Menez is fading River Thames, even though he is the betting favorite at 5-2. River Thames has impressed through three career starts and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure (95) in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, where he finished second. He had the lead in that race before Sovereignty beat him down the wire. There's plenty to like about this horse, but Menez isn't sold ahead of the Blue Grass Stakes 2025.

"For the Blue Grass, he has a tricky draw, inside the other two speed horses, Owen Almighty and East Avenue," Menez told SportsLine. "I like his forward running style, but this son of Maclean's Music is a question to get the extra distance." You can see all of Menez's 2025 Blue Grass Stakes bets here.

How to make 2025 Blue Grass Stakes picks

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse whose pedigree suggests he should benefit from the added distance. He is including this horse in his 2025 Blue Grass Stakes bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

So what horse wins the Blue Grass Stakes 2025? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes, all from the expert who just nailed the Florida Derby, and find out. 

2025 Blue Grass Stakes odds, contenders, post positions