2021 Breeders' Cup Classic morning-line odds, picks: Well connected racing reporter and analyst offers bet strategy for Saturday's $1 million race

An elite field will square off in one of the world's most prestigious races when the starting gate opens on Saturday in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. The Brad Cox-trained Knicks Go has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic odds. Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, who also is trained by Cox, is the 3-1 second choice in the nine-horse Breeders' Cup Classic field. Post time for the 1¼-mile race is 8:40 p.m. ET. Before you make any Breeders' Cup Classic picks, you NEED to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say.

Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

And she has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders' Cup she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. And earlier this year, in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit as the winner at 12-1.

Now, Yu has handicapped the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic field, made her picks and constructed her bets. 

One shocker: Yu is high on Medina Spirit, even though he is at 4-1 on the morning line, behind Knicks Go and Essential Quality. "I don't know where he's going to be in the beginning of the race, but I know that if his head is in front at the quarter pole it will stay there," she told SportsLine. Yu is using Medina Spirit prominently on her tickets.

Also, Yu's top pick is a horse who possesses a quality that will be a "strong weapon at Del Mar." She also is high on a long shot who has "been getting rave reviews in the morning." Yu is including these horses in her 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY need to see her picks before locking in any of your own.

Who wins the 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic? What long shot is a MUST-BACK? And how has Yu constructed her wagers?... Join SportsLine right now to get the top 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic picks and bets, all from the well connected racing reporter who has routinely nailed double-digit winners!