For the eighth 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 2024 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2024 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 player correctly selects the most winners. In the 2023 Big-Race Showdown, Ashley Mailloux selected the most winners and highest percentage with 21 winners from 53 contest races for a 39.6% strike rate. Mike Somich and Naomi Tukker tied for second with 19 winners (35.8%). Rowan Ward led all players with exacta earnings with $679.74, more than a hundred bucks clear of runner-up Edison Hatter's $577.24. Ward also was the leader by trifecta earnings with $655.20, narrowly edging Roberto Rodriguez who had $652.

Your players for the 2024 Big Race Showdown season are Edison Hatter (In The Money Media Podcast Host & Track Announcer), Thomas Kearney (Track Announcer, Shenandoah Downs), 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 (VSiN Host; The Magic Mike Show – The Racing Dudes), Darwin Vizcaya (Handicapper and Host), Rowan Ward (Chartcaller at Hawthorne Race Track and a Freelance Writer), and Alexa Zepp (Handicapper, DRF).

This week’s Big-Race Showdown races are: the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton, a prep race  Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds for the Longines Kentucky Oaks; and the Risen Star Stakes set for Saturday, Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds, which is the first Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep race to offer the winner 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. The Risen Star plus five other stakes races on Fair Grounds’ stacked Saturday card will be shown live on FanDuel TV, along with action from Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Turfway Park, and other tracks.