2023 Churchill Downs Stakes morning-line odds, picks, post time: Racing reporter offers best bets for Saturday's race featuring Cody's Wish

Popular Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish returns to the races for the first time in six months when he squares off against 10 others in the 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Cody's Wish has won four straight races and is the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes odds. Post time is 4:31 p.m. ET. 

With the Churchill Downs Stakes' large field making for a head-scratching handicapping puzzle, you'll want to see what astute racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes 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 a wide-open Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Derby Future Wager last 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 the end of February, she has crushed the Saudi Cup, riding a 15-1 winner, nailed Derma Sotogake to win the UAE Derby and hit the exacta in the Santa Anita Derby.

For Saturday, Yu has handicapped the 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes field, given her horse-by-horse analysis, made her picks and constructed her wagers.

One surprise: Yu is high on Endorsed, the 5-1 second shot in the 11-horse field. "This 7-year-old seems to be having a vintage run, having rattled off three in a row for trainer Mike Maker," Yu told SportsLine. Yu is using Endorsed prominently in her wagers.

Moreover Yu's top pick is a horse who was "game" in his last start. She's also high on a big double-digit longshot who could "put it all together" on Saturday. She is including these horses in her 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY need to see her picks before locking in any of your own.

So which horse wins the Churchill Downs Stakes 2023? And which big double-digit longshot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Michelle Yu's 2023 Churchill Downs Stakes horse-by-horse analysis and picks, all from the well connected racing reporter who has been red-hot!