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 $400,000 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs and the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes Presented by DK Horse Saturday at Santa Anita Park. Both races are Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep races worth 105 qualifying points toward the May 2 run for the roses at Churchill Downs, distributed to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale.

The Tampa Bay Derby will be showcased on NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” telecast as well as FanDuel TV, while the San Felipe and all other races from Santa Anita Park – including Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel – will be broadcast on FanDuel TV.