2021 Stephen Foster Stakes odds, predictions, lineup: Expert who hit Belmont superfecta makes surprising picks

Bob Weir just locked in his Stephen Foster Stakes 2021 predictions, bets and picks

By CBS Sports Staff

Jun 26, 2021 at 3:35 pm ET • 3 min read

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A spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic will be on the line when nine horses leave the starting gate in the 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The winner of Saturday's $600,000 race will earn a place in the $6 million Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. For Saturday, the Brendan Walsh-trained Maxfield is listed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes odds. He is coming off a victory in the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes on April 30.

Three horses -- Silver Dust, Visitant and Warrior's Charge -- are listed at 6-1 in the 2021 Stephen Foster field of nine. Every other horse is 12-1 or higher. Post time is 5:59 p.m. ET. With a well-accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what racing insider Bob Weir has to say before making any 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes picks.

Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir has been handicapping and following horse racing since reading Andy Beyer's landmark handicapping book "Picking Winners" in the late 1980s. Weir is highly invested in the Beyer Speed Figure, a number assigned to every race run by a horse that measures how fast the horse ran. He uses the figure as the backbone of his handicapping. In fact, thanks to his proficiency with speed figures and top-tier handicapping, he landed one of just eight spots on Beyer's figure-making team in 2017, a position he holds to this day.

Weir's methodology has produced multiple five-figure days. In 2014, he hit a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar. The following year, he nailed a $31,000 Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. In 2016 and 2017, Weir qualified for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas.

Last year, his first for SportsLine, Weir hit a $2 superfecta in the Ogden Phipps Stakes that paid a whopping $1,039. He crushed the exacta and trifecta in the Forego Stakes in August for $1,134.50. He hit the late Pick 4 at Belmont Park on June 18, June 19, June 25, July 2 and July 5, with the June 25 score returning a whopping $2,159.50.

This year, he has hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes, with the Tampa Bay Derby score returning $1,414. On May 16 he also hit the Pick 6 at Santa Anita Park. Those are just some of his scores in 2021.

Now, Weir has handicapped the 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes horses, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them here.

Top 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes predictions

After breaking down the pace scenario and examining the Beyer Speed Figures of every horse, Weir is bullish on the chances of Warrior's Charge, who is one of three horses at 6-1 on the morning line, behind only Maxfield. Trained by Brad Cox, Warrior's Charge has won more than $887,000 in his career. He has won five races in 15 starts but enters Saturday's race on a four-race losing streak.

In his last race he lost all chance when he hopped at the start, spotting the field several lengths. Weir is throwing out that performance. "He gets jockey Florent Geroux back on, and I expect Warrior's Charge to be used aggressively early to control the race from start to finish," Weir tells SportsLine. Weir is using Warrior's Charge prominently in his wagers.

How to make 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes, bets

Weir's top pick is a horse who is coming off a "breakthrough" performance. He also is high on a double-digit long shot who is "eligible to pick up some pieces." Weir is including these horses in his 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.

So who wins the Stephen Foster Stakes 2021? And which horse is a must-back? Check out the latest Stephen Foster Stakes odds 2021 below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for Saturday's Stephen Foster Stakes 2021.