An automatic spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic will be on the line when an extremely competitive field of nine leaves the starting gate in the  2021 Pacific Classic on Saturday at Del Mar The John Shirreffs-trained Express Train is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the 2021 Pacific Classic odds. Post time is 9:33 p.m. ET. 

Before you make any Pacific Classic picks, you NEED to see what handicapping wunderkind Matt Bernier has to say.

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. Later that year he won $40,000 after winning the Aqueduct handicapping championship.

Saturday's race features a field full of horses who are question marks at the distance (1¼ mies). Of the nine horses in the race, none have won at 10 furlongs, and they've combined for just five starts at the distance. Seven of the nine will be stretching out in distance on Saturday.

The winner on Saturday immediately becomes one of the leading contenders for the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Like the Pacific Classic, the Breeders' Cup Classic will be held at Del Mar, in November. Though the West Coast-based horses trail the East Coast horses, such as Knicks Go, in early rankings of Breeders' Cup Classic contenders.

Now, Bernier has handicapped the 2021 Pacific Classic field, made his picks and constructed his bets. 

One shocker: Bernier is completely fading Independence Hall, even though he is the co-fourth choice on the morning line, at 5-1. "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.

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. You ABSOLUTELY need to see his picks before locking in any of your own.

Bernier 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. 

Who wins the 2021 Pacific Classic? What does Bernier think of every horse in the race? And how has Bernier constructed his wagers?... Join SportsLine right now to get the top 2021 Pacific Classic picks and bets, all from the handicapping wunderkind who has crushed on racing's biggest days!