Before you place your bets for Saturday’s $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, we recommend reviewing the recent history of the 1 3/16-mile, Grade 2 Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifier.
Winning the last race at the Final Table, Dylan Donnelly of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif, captured the 27th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship, presented by Caesars Race & Sportsbook, Horseshoe Las Vegas and Racetrack Television Network (RTN). With the dramatic victory at the Horseshoe Events Center, Donnelly earned the first-place prize of $825,000, an Eclipse Award as the Horseplayer of the Year, and a return trip to next year’s NHC.
Every Sunday Noel Michaels will provide free full-card picks for a one racecard in North America. A veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer, Michaels also writes a weekly “Weekend Winners” blog for America’s Best Racing with a focus on key stakes races at marquee tracks. This feature will be straight-forward: full-card picks for one Sunday slate of races of his choosing.
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 Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve continues at Colonial Downs on Saturday with the $500,000 Virginia Derby, offering a total of 105 qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers.
