The Road to the Kentucky Derby is underway, and the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes is an integral part of qualifying. The Holy Bull 2025 takes place on Saturday from Gulfstream Park, with 3-year-old horses competing over 1 1/6 miles of dirt track. The favorite, Ferocious at 9-5, has no victories over his last three starts, but does have a pair of runner-up finishes in Grade 1 races. Meanwhile, Tappan Street is 3-1 in the latest 2025 Holy Bull Stakes odds even though he has just one race under his belt. While it was a victory, he'll make a leap in distance going from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.
The 2025 Holy Bull Stakes post time is 5:13 p.m. ET. Other 2025 Holy Bull Stakes contenders include Guns Loaded (5-2) and Burnham Square (5-1), while the biggest longshots in the seven-horse 2025 Holy Bull field are Kinetic Control and He's Not Joking, both 15-1. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any Holy Bull 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 Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Holy Bull Stakes predictions
One surprise: Menez is fading Ferocious, even though he is the top favorite at 9-5. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, Ferocious broke maiden in Aug. 2024 but hasn't prevailed in any of his three starts since then. His last outing was his worst race as he placed fifth in a 10-horse field at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Ferocious entered that race with the highest Beyer Speed Figure amongst the 10 horses, but that didn't translate to the race.
The colt does have impressive connections in 2023 Kentucky Derby-winning trainer, Delgado, and Hall of Fame jockey, Javier Castellano, but he's lacking in pedigree. His sire, Flatter, never won or even finished runner-up in a Graded Stakes race, while dam, Napier, competed as a racehorse just once, finishing in fourth place. Menez also points out that Ferocious' connections don't seem to be "all in" with this race, saying, "He has worked out just three times in the last 60 days and missed a scheduled workout. That tells me the connections are just using the Holy Bull as a starting point." You can see all of Menez's 2025 Holy Bull Stakes bets here.
How to make 2025 Holy Bull Stakes picks
Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who is coming off an impressive showing and another who showed "a good finish in a hard-fought" career first. Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Holy Bull Stakes betting card, and so should you. He's sharing what horses to back at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Holy Bull Stakes 2025? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Holy Bull Stakes, all from the expert who gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby and crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for $5,303, and find out.
2025 Holy Bull Stakes odds, contenders, post positions
| Horse | Odds | Picks |
| Kinetic Control | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Ferocious | 9-5 | SEE PICKS |
| Tappan Street | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Guns Loaded | 5-2 | SEE PICKS |
| He's Not Joking | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Burning Glory | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Burnham Square | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
