Oaklawn Handicap 2025 predictions, horses, odds, field, time, date: Surprising picks from horse racing expert

SportsLine horse racing writer Gene Menez reveals his Oaklawn Handicap 2025 picks after evaluating the contenders

Saffie Joseph has two horses racing in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday and could get a second straight victory out of Alexander Helios. The son of Cairo Prince, who turns five years old on Saturday, has three first-place finishes in his last four starts. That includes a victory in the 2025 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn in February. Alexander Helios is 4-1 in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap odds, behind First Mission (2-1), Skippylongstocking (5-2) and Banishing (7-2). Post time for the Oaklawn Handicap 2025 is 7:10 p.m. ET. With eight seasoned racers set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Oaklawn Handicap 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 Saturday, Menez has made his picks in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap field and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Oaklawn Handicap predictions

One surprise: Menez is fading First Mission, even though he is the betting favorite at 2-1. This son of Street Sense finished third in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn in February and was bested by fellow 2025 Oaklawn Handicap horses Banishing and Alexander Helios. The expert believes the Brad Cox product will be better in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap lineup, but thinks the price is too high.

"When he's good, he's really good, but he's very inconsistent," Menez told SportsLine, adding, "2-1 odds are too short a price to pay in this evenly-matched field." You can see all of Menez's 2025 Oaklawn Handicap bets here.

How to make 2025 Oaklawn Handicap picks

Instead, Menez's top pick is a double-digit longshot who "has every reason to improve" on Saturday. He is including this horse in his 2025 Oaklawn Handicap bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

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

2025 Oaklawn Handicap odds, contenders, post positions

Horse	Odds	Picks
Go West Go	30-1	SEE PICKS
Disarm	10-1	SEE PICKS
First Mission	2-1	SEE PICKS
Skippylongstocking	5-2	SEE PICKS
Alexander Helios	4-1	SEE PICKS
Tarantino	20-1	SEE PICKS
Banishing	7-2	SEE PICKS
Red Route One	15-1	SEE PICKS