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 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, Friday, May 15 at Laurel Park for 3-year-old fillies; and the 151^st running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of U.S. Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown,  Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park.

NBC Sports will provide extensive coverage leading up to the Preakness Saturday evening, and that starts Friday with an hour-and-a-half show from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and streaming on Peacock highlighted by the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

On Saturday, the coverage begins on NBCSN/Peacock from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET before moving to NBC and Peacock from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET for 6 ½ total hours live Saturday from Laurel. Post time for the Preakness is set for 7:01 p.m. ET.