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Betting News - Top Trainers

Although natural ability plays a role in every horse race around the country, there is undoubtedly a human impact on the outcome of races. Jockeys and trainers can help horses reach their potential or prevent them from achieving it. Betting News trainer analysis tool is here to help horseplayers understand which type of trainers have runners in today's race.

One of the key elements of understanding trainers is the fact that trainers are creatures of habit. When they find something that works, they will repeat it over and over. This may include frequent success at a certain distance, on a certain surface, at a certain level, or during a specific meet. This is where the power of Betting News' trainer analysis tool can be a huge asset to any handicapper.

By using the filters a player can get away from using standard win and in-the-money percentages and instead break down how the trainer specifically does in races that fit today's conditions. This may suggest that a super trainer that everyone is likely to use may not have the horse ready to go today or that the little low percentage barn is ready to fire their one shot today. Either way it can mean a profitable day at the races. As you adjust the filters the DHP ratings will also adjust to reflect the trainer's proficiency at getting a horse in-the-money under the selected conditions.

Don't forget to check out the jockey analysis tool to give yourself a further edge on the competition!

Track

Surface

Condition

Distances

Race Types

Posts

Top Trainers

Name Starts Win % Show % DHP
1st/2nd/3rd
4th or 5th
6th +
Rivelli Larry 802 35% 66% Great
533
146
123
Perez Manny 500 8% 31% Bad
157
155
188
Block Chris M 411 17% 50% Good
206
105
100
Mason Ingrid 401 14% 50% Good
199
93
109
Rodriguez Eduardo 371 9% 39% Poor
145
93
133
Manley Steve 338 17% 45% Avg
151
95
92
Hughes Earl W 318 6% 30% Bad
95
93
130
Davis Christopher 301 22% 51% Good
155
69
77
Williamson Brian 288 12% 40% Avg
114
95
79
Catalano Wayne M 265 18% 52% Good
139
60
66
Boyce Michele 262 19% 50% Good
130
63
69
Reavis Michael L 251 19% 51% Good
128
59
64
Rodriguez Hugo 242 15% 36% Poor
87
70
85
Robertson Hugh H 228 15% 46% Good
105
68
55
Poulos Dee 216 12% 42% Poor
91
48
77
Silva Carlos H 208 10% 46% Avg
95
57
56
Slager Leonard M 203 11% 32% Bad
64
61
78
Young Terry R 200 12% 46% Avg
91
51
58
Meraz Antonio 188 10% 36% Bad
67
48
73
Correas Ignacio 187 13% 42% Avg
78
59
50
Swearingen Thomas H 185 11% 38% Poor
70
59
56
Winebaugh Cheryl 184 15% 43% Good
79
64
41
Miller Patti R 176 12% 34% Bad
60
47
69
Kirby Frank J 175 15% 47% Avg
82
44
49
Haran John 168 4% 23% Bad
39
60
69
Inman Barr H 165 8% 36% Bad
59
40
66
Becker Scott 165 12% 40% Poor
66
45
54
Aguilar Rodolfo 163 9% 28% Bad
45
47
71
DiVito James P 159 18% 50% Good
79
40
40
Brueggemann Roger A 153 18% 41% Avg
62
43
48
Stidham Michael 150 19% 53% Great
80
34
36
Bahena Fernando 150 12% 33% Bad
49
47
54
Candelas Blanca 147 12% 41% Poor
60
31
56
Cowan Jon M 139 9% 35% Bad
48
41
50
Granitz Anthony J 137 20% 47% Good
64
43
30
Gulick James M 137 19% 50% Good
69
31
37
Harty Eoin G 136 13% 49% Good
66
42
28
Dorochenko Gennadi 130 7% 31% Bad
40
41
49
Vanden Berg Brittany A 128 29% 66% Great
85
28
15
Childers Vance 125 11% 38% Avg
48
44
33
Spanabel Kelly R 123 0% 8% Bad
10
35
78
Delong Gary 114 3% 18% Bad
21
35
58
Zawitz Joel 114 16% 47% Avg
54
24
36
Matthews Doug 109 14% 39% Poor
43
28
38
Roussel Louie J 106 18% 58% Great
61
17
28
Ali Alnaz 102 9% 30% Bad
31
35
36
Childers James R 96 10% 30% Bad
29
27
40
Wainwright John C 85 9% 36% Poor
31
25
29
Hinsley David H 83 8% 23% Bad
19
19
45
McKeever Andrew 83 18% 47% Good
39
26
18

Why Trainers Matter?

Trainers are entrusted by the owners of the horse to prepare them to win races. Think of a trainer like the coach of a team. Individually the trainer cannot win the race, but the way the trainer prepares the athlete for the race can maximize the horse’s ability. This becomes especially important as horses start to mature beyond their two year old season.

Why is the DHP Top Trainer Tool Helpful?

Horses can be upgraded or downgraded based on their trainers, but many people will overgeneralize the effectiveness of a trainer based on their overall win percentage. However, even the best trainers have blind spots and the weakest trainers have some ability that allows them to pay bills and attract new owners to their barn.

Using the DHP Top Trainer Tool for a Race

To use the top jockey tool follow the steps below:

  1. Change the drop down menus to match any or all of the conditions for the race you are handicapping.
    • Track: Many trainers will have meets that they like to point their horses to. It is very hard to have horses fully cranked year round. Knowing which meets a trainer targets can be a great separator.
    • Surface: With dirt and turf surfaces running so dramatically different in terms of race flow, it is not surprising that many trainers who excel on dirt are less effective with turf runners. The same is true for those who are prolific with turfers.
    • Condition: This factor plays the biggest role when the ground is not fast or firm. Off tracks typically will favor trainers that are good at putting early speed into their horses.
    • Distance: Horse races are often classified as either sprints (less than 8 furlongs) or routes (one mile and over). However, dynamics can change dramatically depending on the various lengths within each of these categories. If a trainer is good at training sprinters, they may be left vulnerable in route races and vice versa.
    • Race Types: This is especially important for trainers. Some trainers get the best of the best talent at the track which will be reflected with high marks in the stakes and allowance ranks. Some trainers are masters of the claiming game (buying and selling horses out of races). A claiming trainer who sends out a stakes runner may be in too deep. A top stakes trainer may be racking up high percentages with good animals but when they drop to the claiming ranks, they can’t move average horses forward. Understanding which levels the trainer excels at is paramount to unlocking hidden value in races.
    • Barriers/Post Positions: Post position stats for trainers are of limited importance and may be used to eliminate horses in clear weak spots for the trainer, but likely won’t uncover any actionable angle by itself. This filter can still be useful, but should be used in combinations with other filters in the menu.
  2. Once you have set any or all of the filters, select the “Refresh Charts” button to see the updated data which reflects your race.

Using the Top Trainer Tool for an Individual Trainer

While the top trainer tool is extremely effective for comparing all trainers in a given race, it can also be a major factor when analyzing an individual trainer.

This can be done from the top trainer charts. Simply find the trainer you want to look up and click their name. You will now see a report of their rating and percentages at every one of the filters from the top trainer tool.

Using this view you may be able to identify spots where you can beat a high percentage trainer. For example, Bob Baffert wins at a nearly 30% clip across all races. His horses are often crushed at the windows and offer little value. However, looking closer at the trainer profile the is rated as “Poor” on turf. Many people will see the 28% winning percentage and bet his horses without recognizing that many of his turf runners do not perform to the level of his dirt contingent. This can provide a great advantage for the horse player who can look to fade this super trainer on turf.