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), NoelMichaels (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 $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Saturday at Keeneland Race Course, the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino Saturday at Aqueduct, and the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby Saturday at Santa Anita Park. All three races are marquee qualifying races for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve offering 200 points distributed to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.

Keeneland races are broadcast on FanDuel TV, and the Blue Grass Stakes will also air on NBCSN and stream on Peacock during a show from 6-7 p.m. ET. The Wood Memorial will be broadcast on FS2 as part of “America’s Day at the Races,” while the Santa Anita Derby will also air on FanDuel TV along with other races from Santa Anita Park.