2025 UAE Derby predictions, horses, odds, field: Surprising picks from proven horse racing expert
The penultimate Saturday of Kentucky Derby prep races takes place this week, with the 2025 UAE Derby one of the feature attractions. At 1,900 meters, it’s close in length to the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, making it a highly sought-after event for potential contenders at Churchill Downs. The UAE Derby 2025 will take place at Meydan Racecourse and is one of eight thoroughbred races during Dubai World Cup Night. Post time is 11 a.m. ET.
Flood Zone, trained by 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Brad Cox, is the 2-1 favorite in the latest 2025 UAE Derby odds. Shin Forever (11-4) and Heart of Honor (9-2) round out the top three 2025 UAE Derby horses as the only others with single-digit odds to utilize in horse racing bets. With several talented three-year-olds 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 UAE Derby 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. In November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 jackpot. In February he hit the winner and exacta in the Holy Bull Stakes in February for a $422.50 payday. And just last week he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score.
For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 UAE Derby field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 UAE Derby predictions
One surprise: Menez is completely fading Shin Forever, even though he has the second-shortest odds at 11-4. The colt got his start on turf, where he won his horseracing debut as a juvenile last August. He then made a jump into Graded Stakes races but didn’t finish in the money in three straight graded races. He rebounded with a runner-up at an allowance race in November and then placed fifth in his 3-year-old debut at the Junior Cup, giving him five straight starts without a victory.
However, his last race, and his first on dirt, was a runner-up at the G3 Saudi Derby in February, and that’s what has him as the second-favorite for the UAE Derby. Even with that, it’s hard to ignore that he’s failed to win each of his last six races and hasn’t particularly performed well against strong fields. He finished fourth in his lone previous start in a G2 race and has an average finish of 5.3 across four career Graded Stakes races. You can see all of Menez’s 2025 UAE Derby bets here.
How to make 2025 UAE Derby picks
Instead, Menez’s top pick is a horse who still “has much room to improve.” He’s only sharing who it is, and which horses to back, at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the UAE Derby 2025, and how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the UAE Derby, 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, and find out.
