2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds & Prediction

Stephen Foster Stakes Handicapping Picks

Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2025 (G1) Stephen Foster Stakes is set for June 28 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.

Stephen Foster Stakes Preview

Race: Stephen Foster Stakes
Purse: $1 million
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Track: Churchill Downs
Date: June 28, 2025
Post Time: 6:03 PM (ET)
Live: Stephen Foster Stakes Odds: Click Here

Before we can give you our expert 2025 Stephen Foster Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!

2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Handicapping

Closing weekend of the 2025 Churchill Downs spring meet features a full slate of stakes racing action over both days. The main feature goes Saturday with the running of the (G1) Stephen Foster Stakes. The race also serves as a “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The race has drawn a small but very talented group of entries, including the 2024 winners of both the (G1) Kentucky Derby and (G1) Breeders’ Cup Classic. Five of the seven expected starters are coming into the race off a graded-stakes win.

They’ll be racing 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill dirt track.

Odds listed here are provided by the Churchill track oddsmaker.

2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Sierra Leon Race Odds: 5-2

Never worse than third in 10 lifetime races, the hard-luck Sierra Leon was just a nose short of winning the 2024 Kentucky Derby, but came back to run his very best race in taking last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Following the Classic he was off for five months, returning in late March of this year in the (G2) New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds. He put in his patented late run, but came up just short while finishing third.

With that start under his saddle he should be in good form to contend again on Saturday.

2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Mystik Dan Odds: 3-1

The 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan followed that up by running second in the Preakness Stakes, ending his bid for Triple Crown glory.

He struggled after the Preakness, failing to hit the board in three straight races to close out the year. But he seems to have come back strong in 2025, running second in his first start of the year, then winning last out in the (G3) Blame Stakes. That race was also at Churchill Downs, where he has won three times in four starts.

Mindframe Race Odds: 7-2

Big things were expected of Mindframe last year after he won his first two races by a combined 20 lengths, then stepped right up to top-level company to run second in the (G1) Belmont Stakes.

But he was injured after running second next out in the (G1) Haskell, and was away from the races for more than seven months. He’s come back in 2025 to win two straight, including the (G1) Churchill Downs Stakes at the beginning of May.

First Mission Race Odds: 4-1

Fourth in this race last year, First Mission is another that had his season cut short last year, ending his campaign with a disappointing seventh-place finish in the (G1) Whitney Handicap at Saratoga in early August.

He’s made two starts so far this year, running third by just a neck in the (G3) Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park in February, then staying in Arkansas to capture the (G2) Oaklawn Handicap in fairly easy fashion. He was two lengths clear of the runner-up, and more than seven length in front of a next-out winner in Skippylongstocking, who he’ll face again here.

Here’s My 2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick.

With all the talent signed on and only one of the starters expected to go off at double-digit odds, this should be a great race, albeit not one that will offer a while lot of wagering value.

While a case could be made for six of these to win, I think Mindframe will be aggressive from the gate and take up position as the controlling speed and that could be decisive. He’s only made one start at the distance in the Haskell, where he stumbled at the gate and wound up running second. It’s hard to tell, exactly what his best distance might be – a bit longer, or a bit shorter – so that is a question.

But if he can get to the front and control the pace, I’m betting he’ll be tough to run down, and based on that scenario I’ll pick him for the Win.

Full Field: 2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Odds

By post position

#1 – First Mission 4-1
#2 – Mindframe 7-2
#3 – Skippylongstocking 6-1
#4 – Sierra Leon 5-2
#5 – Mystik Dan 3-1
#6 – Hit Show 9-2
#7 – Ashcroft 30-1

2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Racebooks / Betting Apps We Like!

MORE DETAILS

Overall Rating:

Early Lines
High Limits
NEW VIP Rewards

MORE DETAILS

Overall Rating:

VIP Program
Crypto
Live & Mobile Betting!

MORE DETAILS

Overall Rating:

35% Crypto Bonus
Live Betting
Mobile Friendly

MORE DETAILS

2024 Horse Race betting odds are posted at MyBookie (Click Here now – Open A free Horse Race betting account today!)

Register here for a FREE Sports Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers! Please Follow our LINKTR.EE.

OUR Top 3 Racebooks are — MYBookie — Bovada — BetOnline

About Brent Sedo

After four years at Capper's Picks, Brent has previewed just over 400 races with a solid 26% Win percentage, with 54% of his Win picks finishing in the money. He's been a horse racing fan and avid handicapper since he started going to Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs as a kid. He’s been to live racing at many tracks in North America, as well as South America, Europe and Australia. He was particularly impressed with the Hippodromo in Santiago, Chile, where fans bring their own wine and cheer every race like it’s the Kentucky Derby. He has been writing about racing online for the past 12 years. Stay tuned for more free horse racing picks!

Filed Under: Gambling, Horses

2025 Stephen Foster Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds & Prediction