For the fourth 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 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The handicappers face off in what we like to call “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 2019 players are TVG’s Candice Hare, Ashley Mailloux (Paddock Analyst, Fort Erie), Mike McCormick (PokerFuse), Nicolle Neulist (Arlington Park), Mike Somich (RacingDudes.com), Kenny Schmitt (FBWinners.com), ABR’s Dan Tordjman, NYRA’s Darwin Vizcaya, and Derby Day Racing’s Brian Zipse.

Our featured races this week are: the two divisions of the the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, which was moved from April 11 to May 2 after Churchill Downs announced the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve would be rescheduled to Sept. 5. The 2020 Arkansas Derby drew enough interest that the race was split into two divisions with post time for the first division scheduled for 6:29 p.m. ET and post time for the second division set for 7:43 p.m. ET.

The Arkansas Derby anchors Oaklawn Park's spectacular closing-day card at the Hot Springs, Ark., track that also includes the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. The races will be broadcast live on the Fox Sports show “America’s Day at the Races” as well as TVG's “Trackside Live” show airing on its home network and also simulcast by NBCSN.