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Nine of the top horses in the world are set to enter the starting gate at the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, Calif. The Breeders' Cup Classic 2021 field includes a pair of 2021 Triple Crown winners. Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality will break from the No. 4 post. Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who failed a post-race drug test at Churchill Downs, will be in the No. 8 post.

Post time is 8:40 p.m. ET as the horses will go 1 1/4 miles in this race. Five-year old Knicks Go, who won the 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, is the morning-line favorite at 5-2 in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic odds. Essential Quality is next on the horse racing odds board at 3-1, while Medina Spirit is tied with Louisiana Derby champion Hot Rod Charlie at 4-1. 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 fading Medina Spirit, even though he's tied for the third-lowest odds in the Breeders' Cup Classic 2021 field. Since the controversial Kentucky Derby win, Medina Spirit has raced three times. Most notable was his run at the Preakness, where he logged an uninspiring 1:53.62 at that 1 3/16-mile course and settled for third behind Rombauer and Midnight Bourbon.

He bounced back with wins at the Shared Belief Stakes in August and the Awesome Again Stakes in October. But Kinchen credits the Awesome Again win mostly to him being able to get a clean lead, something he doesn't see happening with all the speed in the Breeders' Cup Classic field. Kinchen has Medina Spirit well outside his top-five picks in this race, saying, "I really think he will fall apart." 

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.

2021 Breeders' Cup Classic odds

Knicks Go 5-2
Essential Quality 3-1
Hot Rod Charlie 4-1
Medina Spirit 4-1
Art Collector 8-1
Max Player 8-1
Tripoli 15-1
Express Train 20-1
Stilleto Boy 30-1