2021 Pacific Classic horses, picks, odds: Handicapping expert reveals predictions, best bets for Del Mar

Horse racing analyst Matt Bernier offers his Pacific Classic 2021 picks, predictions, and bets

By CBS Sports Staff

Aug 21, 2021 at 7:34 pm ET • 2 min read

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The John Shirreffs-trained Express Train will try to establish himself as the West Coast's leading Breeders' Cup Classic contender when he leaves the starting gate in the 2021 Pacific Classic on Saturday at Del Mar. This 4-year-old son of Union Rags has four wins, four seconds and two thirds in 12 career starts and is coming off a victory in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. Like the other horses in the 2021 Pacific Classic field, Express Train will be looking to win his first career Grade 1 race.

Express Train has been listed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the 2021 Pacific Classic odds, while the Richard Mandella-trained Royal Ship is getting the second lowest odds at 7-2. Six of the nine 2021 Pacific Classic horses are getting 5-1 odds or shorter. Post time is 9:33 p.m. ET. With an evenly-matched field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to check out what handicapping wunderkind Matt Bernier has to say before making any 2021 Pacific Classic picks.

Bernier is one of the country's most recognizable horse racing analysts. An on-air contributor to NBC's horse racing telecasts and the host of The Matt Bernier Show podcast, Bernier first gained renown in 2013 when, at 23 years old, he became the youngest qualifier at the time to qualify for the National Horseplayers Championship. He parlayed that success into a spot on the reality TV show Horseplayers, which followed professional horseplayers around the country.

Two of his biggest scores came in 2014. In the prestigious Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge that year Bernier finished sixth, earning $61,000 for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance charity. And he won $40,000 after winning the Aqueduct handicapping championship.

He also has cashed some Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks future bets at enormous odds, including 75-1 on I'll Have Another in 2012, 75-1 on Orb in 2013 and 35-1 on Shedaresthedevil in 2020.

Now, he has handicapped the 2021 Pacific Classic field, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them here.

Top 2021 Pacific Classic picks

One shocker: Bernier, who examined the pace scenario and closely analyzed every horse in the race, is bearish on the chances of Independence Hall, who is one of three horses listed at 5-1; just three horses are shorter.

A 4-year-old son of Constitution, who was one of the leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby early in 2020, Independence Hall has not finished better than third in his last four races. He has not won since November.

That victory came at 6½ furlongs, and Independence Hall has never won beyond a mile, which makes him a big question mark at Saturday's distance of 1¼ miles. "Given his best races have come going around one-turn, there's reason to be skeptical of him at a short price in a race like the Pacific Classic," Bernier tells SportsLine. Bernier is not using Independence Hall on any of his tickets.

How to make 2021 Pacific Classic bets

Bernier's top pick is a horse who "has been a revelation." Bernier is including this horse in his 2021 Pacific Classic bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins the Pacific Classic 2021? And how has Bernier constructed his wagers? Check out the latest Pacific Classic odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Bernier's picks for the Pacific Classic, and find out.