For the 10th 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 2026 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland. 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 2026 Big Race Showdown season are Thomas Kearney (Track Announcer, Shenandoah Downs), Ashley Mailloux (Freelance Racing Analyst), Noel Michaels (Racing Analyst, Tournament Handicapper), Jessica Paquette (Racecaller for Parx Racing, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation), John Piassek (Assistant Racing Secretary, Yonkers Raceway),  Roberto Rodriguez (El Potro Roberto, DRF en Espanol), Darwin Vizcaya (Handicapper and Host), and Rowan Ward (Chartcaller at Hawthorne Race Track and a Freelance writer).

This week’s Big-Race Showdown races are:  the $500,000 Champagne Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park, the $650,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course, the $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, and $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes Presented by DK Horse on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

The Champagne, Breeders’ Futurity, and American Pharoah Stakes all are Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” qualifying races for the $2 million FanDuel Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Oct. 30 at Keeneland. The Coolmore Turf Mile is a qualifier for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

The Champagne Stakes will be televised on “America’s Day at the Races” airing on FS1. TV coverage of Keeneland of Saturday, Oct. 3, featuring the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity and Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes, airs on NBC and streams on Peacock from 3-6 p.m. ET. FanDuel TV will show every race live from Keeneland’s fall meet, and Keeneland’s races can also be streamed on the track’s website, betting app, and YouTube channel. FanDuel TV also will show live racing from Santa Anita Park, which hosts four “Win and You’re In” races Saturday.