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Gun Runner is the favorite to take home the richest purse in horse racing.  Getty Images

Many people have an opinion on the Pegasus World Cup. It carries the richest purse in racing, $16 million, and is one of the most wagered-upon horse races in the world. The winning horse gets $7 million.

Gun Runner (4/5) is the Vegas favorite. The Pegasus World Cup marks his final race and he drew the No. 10 spot. Sharp Azteca (6/1) is next closest on the odds board.

A win in his final race would make Gun Runner the second-richest thoroughbred in North American racing history. He has career earnings of almost $9 million in 18 starts headed into the 2018 Pegasus World Cup.

Before you bet the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, you'll want to hear what Jody Demling has to say.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about, and betting on races for years, Demling comes into the Pegasus World Cup on a mind-blowing streak: he's nailed nine straight Oaks-Derby doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races nine straight years.

He followed that up by picking Tapwrit to edge Irish War Cry in the Belmont Stakes -- which is exactly what happened, enabling him to also cash trifecta and superfecta bets for a monster payout.

Demling also nailed the Travers Stakes winner, West Coast, for SportsLine members. And he capped off 2017 by hitting the superfecta in the Breeder's Cup Classic. Anyone who has followed his picks is way, way up.

Following Wednesday's post draw and the latest odds update, Demling finalized his Pegasus World Cup picks and listed where he believes all 12 horses will finish Saturday.

He's not high on Sharp Azteca, questioning whether the second-biggest favorite can go the distance.

"All three of his wins at Gulfstream were one-turn races and I'm bumping him down a few spots because of distance questions," Demling said.

Sharp Azteca is coming off a win in the Cigar Mile over Mind Your Biscuits, but since late 2015, he has not run in a race that's as long as the Pegasus World Cup (1 1/8 miles, or 9 furlongs). "The field is too good," Demling said. "I can't support a horse that hasn't won at this distance before."

Demling has Sharp Azteca penciled in for a fifth-place finish. He's a horse to avoid.

One surprise: War Story (25/1), who finished fourth in the Breeder's Cup Classic, makes a strong run despite 25/1 odds.

Don't be fooled by War Story's long-shot Pegasus World Cup odds. In addition to his strong Breeder's Cup showing, he has three fourth-place finishes and wins in the Brooklyn Invitational and Queens County in the last 13 months.

War Story has proven he can compete on the biggest stage. "He's running right with the best horses," Demling said. War Story is a horse that needs to be on your radar on Saturday.

Demling is especially high on a major sleeper that would net any backer a huge payday. He's sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the $16 million Pegasus World Cup? And what huge sleeper does Demling say contends? Check out the latest Pegasus World Cup odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see Demling's picks for the Pegasus World Cup.

Gun Runner (4-5)
Sharp Azteca (6-1)
Collected (8-1)
West Coast (8-1)
Gunnevera (15-1)
Seeking the Soul (25-1)
War Story (25-1)
Toast of New York (20-1)
Fear the Cowboy (30-1)
Giant Expectations (30-1)
Singing Bullet (30-1)
Stellar Wind (30-1)