For the seventh year in a row, America’s Best Racing is challenging some of the brightest minds in horse betting to come up with their top three picks for key races every weekend leading up to the 2023 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The handicappers face off in what we like to call the “Big Race Showdown.”

The players’ picks will be posted here and a running bankroll will be kept to track their success all year long. Bankrolls will be tabulated on the basis of $2 exacta and $2 trifecta box bets of each player’s top three selections. We will also be keeping track of which playercorrectly selects the most winners.

Your players for the 2023 Big Race Showdown season are Edison Hatter (In the Money Media Analyst, Meadowlands On-Air Host), Ashley Mailloux (freelance racing analyst), Jessica Paquette (Racecaller for Parx Racing, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation), John Piassek (Communications Manager, Maryland Horse Breeders Association),  Roberto Rodriguez (El Potro Roberto, DRF en Espanol), Mike Somich (The Magic Mike Show, Somo Bombs Handicapper – The Racing Dudes), Naomi Tukker (Eclipse Award-winning Sports Broadcaster, World Horse Racing Producer),  Darwin Vizcaya (Handicapper and Host, La Trifecta from America’s Best Racing), Rowan Ward (Chartcaller at Hawthorne Race Track and a Freelance Writer), and Brian Zipse (Senior Writer for Horse Racing Nation and Host of HorseCenter).

This week’s Big Race Showdown races are: the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes, a Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” race Saturday at Santa Anita Park for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic; and the $400,000 Woodward Stakes on Sunday (note: postponed a day from Saturday to Sunday due to inclement weather forecast) at the Belmont at the Big A (Aqueduct) meeting, which is a key prep race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday, Sept. 30 and other races at Santa Anita Park will be shown live on FanDuel TV as part of their comprehensive coverage of the fall meet at “The Great Race Place.”  Racing from the Belmont at the Big A meet in New York will be shown exclusively on NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” program from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. “America’s Day at the Races” airs on FS2 this week – check the below schedule for times.