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.

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 $750,000, Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino Saturday at Aqueduct; the $1 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Saturday at Keeneland Race Course; and the $750,000, Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

FanDuel TV will show each of these three important preps live as part of their daily package that also provides comprehensive coverage of Keeneland’s spring meet, which begins on Friday, April 5 and runs through April 26. The Wood Memorial will also air on “America’s Day at the Races” on FS2. 

NBC Sports presents a Road to the Kentucky Derby recap show Saturday evening with a live broadcast of the Santa Anita Derby and analysis of all three important preps, airing on CNBC from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET and streaming on Peacock.