An automatic berth in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Juvenile will be on the line when the starting gate opens in the 2022 Champagne Stakes on Saturday at Belmont At The Big A. The Brad Cox-trained Verifying has been installed as the lukewarm 9-5 favorite in the Champagne Stakes odds. Meanwhile the Steve Asmussen-trained Gulfport is the 2-2 second choice in the six-horse Champagne Stakes field. Champions Dream (5-1), Top Recruit (5-1), Andiamo a Firenze (6-1) and Blazing Sevens (8-1) round out the field. Post time for the one-turn mile race is 5:45 p.m. ET. 

Before making any 2022 Champagne Stakes picks or 2022 Woodward Stakes picks, you'll want to hear what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010. In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.

Now, Menez has handicapped the field for the Champagne Stakes, made his picks and formulated his bets.

One shocker: Menez's top pick is not the 9-5 favorite, Verifying. "Verifying got an easy lead in his debut win and will almost certainly face a much hotter pace on Saturday," Menez told SportsLine.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "provides good value at this price." He also is high on a longshot who "should thrive over the expected wet track." As a bonus, Menez is including a pick on the Woodward Stakes (4:07 p.m. ET). You NEED to see which horses they are before making any picks of your own.

So who wins the 2022 Champagne Stakes and Woodward Stakes? And how has Menez structured his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get Champagne and Woodward Stakes picks and wagers, all from the expert who once cashed for $6,900 on Kentucky Derby Saturday!