2021 Champagne Stakes morning-line odds, picks: National handicapping champion offers picks for Saturday's race

Six of the East Coast's top 2-year-olds will try to win one of the nation's top races for juveniles when they leave the starting gate in the 2021 Champagne Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Chad Brown-trained Jack Christopher is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Champagne Stakes odds. The Todd Pletcher-trained Wit is the 2-1 second choice in the Champagne Stakes field. Post time is 4:40 p.m. ET. (Check out SportsLine's extensive horse racing coverage.)

Handicapping champion Jonathon Kinchen has studied the race and constructed his wagers in his analysis below. An analyst for Fox Sports' Saratoga Live and co-host of the In the Money Players' Podcast, Kinchen won the National Horseplayers Championship Tour in 2015, a demanding, yearlong series of handicapping events across the country. In November, he 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.

Kinchen has handicapped the 2021 Champagne Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his bets. 

One surprise: Kinchen is completely tossing Wit, the second choice on the morning line, at 2-1. "He has a habit of breaking poorly," Kinchen told SportsLine. "When you're facing lesser horses, you can overcome that, but he's not facing lesser horses on Saturday." Kinchen will not have Wit on any of his tickets.

Kinchen's top pick is a horse who "should continue to improve." Kinchen also is high on a long shot who is "interesting." You NEED to see Kinchen's analysis before making any Champagne Stakes picks of your own.

Kinchen is one of the nation's most successful and recognizable horseplayers. An analyst for Fox Sports' America's Day at the Races and co-host of the In the Money Players' Podcast, 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.

In addition, Kinchen has scored huge on some of racing's biggest days. In November, he 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.

It's no fluke, either. At the 2015 Kentucky Derby, he cashed for $150,000 after nailing the Pick 6 and a Pick 3 that paid $50,000.

So who wins the 2021 Champagne Stakes? What interesting long shot is a must-back? And how has Kinchen constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get 2021 Champagne Stakes picks and bets, all from an unmatched handicapping champion who won $366,000 in the 2020 Breeders' Cup and $150,000 on Derby Day in 2015!