Brian A. Lynch and Irad Ortiz Jr. will try to repeat their success as a duo at the 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. The seasoned trainer and award-winning jockey teamed up in 2022 and won the Kentucky Derby prep race with Classic Causeway, marking Lynch’s first Sam F. Davis Stakes win and Ortiz’s second. They are reunited for the Sam F. Davis Stakes 2025 with two-year-old Owen Almighty. The son of Speightstown is the 2-1 favorite in the 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes odds. John Hancock (3-1), Poster (4-1), Treaty of Rome (6-1) and Naughty Rascal (6-1) round out the top five favorites in the 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes field, which has a post time of 5:14 p.m. ET. 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 Sam F. Davis 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 Sam F. Davis Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes predictions
One surprise: Menez is fading Owen Almighty, even though he is the top favorite at 2-1. The two-year-old colt crossed the finish line first in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay last month, but was dropped to fifth after being written up for interference. He appeared to be up to snuff with the speed in that race, although the expert isn’t sure how he will measure up to the competition when he takes the field on Saturday.
“I think Owen Almighty is a horse to watch on the Kentucky Derby trail, but 2-1 is too short to take on a horse who will be going two turns for the first time and will be facing other speed horses up front,” Menez told SportsLine. You can see all of Menez’s 2025 Pegasus World Cup bets here.
How to make 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes picks
Moreover, Menez’s top pick is a horse who “figures to have a hot early pace.” He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is “projected to get to the front.” Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes bets, and so should you. He’s sharing what horses to back at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Sam F. Davis Stakes 2025? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Sam F. Davis 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.
