An automatic berth into the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf will be on the line when some of the best grass route horses in the country leave the starting gate in the 2021 Del Mar Handicap on Saturday at Del Mar. The Breeders' Cup Turf will be run in November at Del Mar, which means Saturday's race could provide a preview of some of the top contenders. The Richard Mandella-trained United is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the 2021 Del Mar Handicap odds.
Meanwhile the Brad Cox-trained Arklow, who has shipped in from the East Coast, is getting 5-2 odds in the 11-horse 2021 Del Mar Handicap field. Post time for the $300,000 race is 10:03 p.m. ET. With a well-accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what racing insider Bob Weir has to say before making any 2021 Del Mar Handicap picks.
Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir has been handicapping and following horse racing since reading Andy Beyer's landmark handicapping book "Picking Winners" in the late 1980s. Weir is highly invested in the Beyer Speed Figure, a number assigned to every race run by a horse that measures how fast the horse ran. He uses the figure as the backbone of his handicapping. In fact, thanks to his proficiency with speed figures and top-tier handicapping, he landed one of just eight spots on Beyer's figure-making team in 2017, a position he holds to this day.
Weir's methodology has produced multiple five-figure days. In 2014, he hit a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar. The following year, he nailed a $31,000 Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. In 2016 and 2017, Weir qualified for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas.
Last year, his first for SportsLine, Weir was on fire. In June, Weir hit a $2 superfecta in the Ogden Phipps Stakes that paid a whopping $1,039. He crushed the exacta and trifecta in the Forego Stakes in August for $1,134.50. He hit the late Pick 4 at Belmont Park on June 18, June 19, June 25, July 2 and July 5, with the June 25 score returning a whopping $2,159.50.
This year, he has hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes, with the Tampa Bay Derby score returning $1,414. Those are just some of his scores in 2021.
Now, Weir has handicapped the 2021 Del Mar Handicap horses, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them here.
Top 2021 Del Mar Handicap predictions
One shocker: After studying the Beyer Speed Figures and past performances of every horse in the race, Weir is bullish on Say the Word, who is listed at 6-1 on the morning line, behind just United and Arklow.
A 6-year-old son of More Than Ready, Say the Word is best known for winning the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes in October at Woodbine. In his last race he finished seventh in the Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar last month.
But on Saturday Say the Word stretches out in distance to 1⅜ miles; the Eddie Read was contested at 1⅛. "The connections may have realized that the marathon distances are best at this stage of his career," Weir tells SportsLine. Weir will be using Say the Word prominently on all of his tickets.
How to make 2021 Del Mar Handicap picks, bets
However Weir's top pick is a horse who "may have more upside than anyone else in this race." He also is high on a double-digit long shot who "showed his talent" recently and could surprise. Weir is including these horses in his 2021 Del Mar Handicap bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Del Mar Handicap 2021? And which horse is a must-back? Check out the latest Del Mar Handicap odds 2021 below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks, and find out.
2021 Del Mar Handicap odds, field, contenders
| Program # | Horse | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media Blitz | 30-1 |
| 2 | Crossfirehurricane | 30-1 |
| 3 | Red King | 8-1 |
| 4 | United | 2-1 |
| 5 | Masteroffoxhounds | 8-1 |
| 6 | Master Piece | 15-1 |
| 7 | Acclimate | 10-1 |
| 8 | Arklow | 5-2 |
| 9 | Award Winner | 15-1 |
| 10 | Astronaut | 20-1 |
| 11 | Say the Word | 6-1 |
