2023 Champagne Stakes morning-line odds, picks, post time: Racing insider offers betting strategy for Saturday's race

The Todd Pletcher-trained Fierceness can establish himself as one of the leading contenders for next year's Kentucky Derby when he leaves the starting gate in the 2023 Champagne Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens, N.Y. a 2-year-old son of City of Light, Fierceness is a perfect 1-for-1 in his brief career. He has been installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the 2023 Champagne Stakes odds. Timberlake is the 3-1 second choice in the eight-horse Champagne Stakes field, while General Partner is 7-2. Post time for the $500,000 race is 3:46 p.m. ET. 

With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any Champagne Stakes picks.

A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014.

Last year, he was red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for $1,678 and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o' War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s.

In April of this year, he hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park for $641, the exacta in the Florida Derby, a Pick 5 at Keeneland and the exacta in the Lexington Stakes. He smashed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes for $532.96, and later in June, he crushed a Pick 4 at Belmont for $555. Those are just some of his scores this year. 

Now, Weir has handicapped the 2023 Champagne Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his bets.

One surprise: Weir is bullish on the chances of Gold Sweep, even though he is an 8-1 longshot. "[Trainer Steve] Asmussen brings him back with blinkers on, and there should be plenty of speed for him to run at," Weir told SportsLine. Weir is including Gold Sweep in his wagers.

Moreover, Weir's top pick is a horse who's "bred for [the distance]." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who "could be good enough to clunk up." Weir is including these horses in his 2023 Champagne Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see his picks before locking in any of your own.

Who wins the Champagne Stakes? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Weir constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine right now to get the top 2023 Champagne Stakes picks, all from a top racing insider and member of the Beyer figure-making team who crushed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes!