2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic odds, predictions, contenders: Expert who dominated Betting Challenge gives picks

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will try to break out of a slump on Saturday when he hops aboard the Steve Asmussen-trained Max Player in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. The 28-year-old Santana, who has been Asmussen’s go-to rider for years, went 0-for-81 during the Keeneland meet that ended last Saturday, was winless in seven mounts last Sunday at Churchill Downs and went 0-for-3 on Wednesday at Del Mar. On Saturday, Santana’s mount, Max Player, is an 8-1 long shot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2021. Four-time Grade 1 winner Knicks Go is the 5-2 favorite in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic odds, while Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality is 3-1 in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic field.

Post time for the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic 2021 is 8:40 p.m. ET. With an elite field ready to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see how handicapping champion Jonathon Kinchen has analyzed the race.

Kinchen is one of the nation’s most successful and recognizable horseplayers. An analyst for Fox Sports’ “America’s Day at the Races,” Kinchen won the National Horseplayers Championship Tour in 2015, a demanding, yearlong series of handicapping events across the country. That same year, he became the only player in history to have both of his entries qualify for the final table of the National Horseplayers Championship.

At last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Kinchen finished second out of 418 contestants in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, which earned him $215,000 in prize money. After factoring in his profit during the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, he took home more than $366,000 on the day. Anyone who has followed him is up big.

Now, Kinchen has handicapped the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them here.

Top 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic predictions

One surprise: Kinchen is completely tossing Medina Spirit, even though he is one of the top favorites at 4-1. A gutsy son of unheralded sire Protonico, Medina Spirit has never failed to hit the board in nine career starts, with five wins, three seconds and one third.

He is coming off a win in the Awesome Again Stakes in which he earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure. Only one horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2021, Hot Rod Charlie, earned a better speed figure in his last race. “[Medina Spirit] won that race because he got loose on the lead, and there’s little chance he will get loose on the lead on Saturday,” Kinchen told SportsLine. Kinchen has Medina Spirit ranked eighth in the nine-horse field and will not use Medina Spirit in any Breeders’ Cup 2021 bets.

How to make 2021 Breeders’ Cup picks

Kinchen’s top pick is a horse who will take advantage of Saturday’s pace, sending his backers straight to the payout window. He is using this horse in all of his wagers, and so should you. He’s only sharing who to back at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2021? And how has Kinchen structured his wagers? Check out the latest Breeders’ Cup Classic odds 2021 below, then visit SportsLine to see Kinchen’s picks for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, all from the insider who crushed last year’s Betting Challenge.