2022 Arlington Million morning-line odds, picks: Well connected racing reporter and analyst offers best bets for Saturday's race

One of the country's most storied turf races will be run at Churchill Downs for the first time when the starting gate opens in the 2022 Arlington Million on Saturday. The frontrunning Smooth Like Straight is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the 2022 Arlington Million odds. The Brendan Walsh-trained Santin is the 3-1 second choice in the nine-horse 2022 Arlington Million field. Set Piece (4-1) and Sacred Life (9-2) round out the top four 2022 Arlington Million favorites. Post time is 6:25 p.m. ET.

With an accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what astute racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Arlington Million picks. 

Few people in racing are as well-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.

Yu also 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. Last year, in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager this year, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby!

Since joining SportsLine in November, her picks have cashed in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Sham Stakes, El Camino Real Derby, San Felipe Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap, Kentucky Oaks and Preakness Stakes. And in June's Belmont Stakes, she hit the top two finishers. Anyone who has followed her is WAY UP. 

Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Arlington Million field, given her horse-by-horse analysis, made her picks and constructed her wagers.

One surprise: Yu's top pick is not the morning-line favorite, Smooth Like Strait. "Nine furlongs has proven to be a salty distance for him to hold his speed, and while I am sure he can hit the board, the added ground leaves me concerned," Yu told SportsLine.

Instead, Yu's top pick is a horse who "has done his best while running shorter than this trip." She is including this horse in her 2022 Arlington Million bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY need to see her picks before locking in any of your own.

So who wins the 2022 Arlington Million? What does Yu think of every horse in the race? And how has she constructed her wagers? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Michelle Yu's 2022 Arlington Million horse-by-horse analysis and picks, all from the insider who nailed the top two finishers in June's Belmont Stakes!