betonline banner
betonline banner

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 +
Steven M Asmussen 125 10% 35% Bad
44
28
53
Brad H Cox 81 23% 53% Great
43
20
18
Joe Sharp 72 18% 36% Poor
26
17
29
Kenneth G McPeek 68 13% 53% Avg
36
11
21
Michael J Maker 61 18% 44% Avg
27
17
17
Chris A Hartman 56 7% 29% Bad
16
17
23
David Jacobson 50 24% 52% Great
26
13
11
Brendan P Walsh 46 20% 50% Avg
23
7
16
Mark E Casse 40 15% 35% Poor
14
11
15
Dallas Stewart 36 8% 36% Bad
13
4
19
Dale L Romans 33 15% 45% Good
15
10
8
Genaro Garcia 33 12% 24% Bad
8
11
14
Riley Mott 31 10% 42% Poor
13
7
11
Eric N Foster 30 13% 43% Avg
13
8
9
Thomas M Amoss 30 33% 53% Great
16
7
7
Eddie Kenneally 30 17% 33% Bad
10
8
12
Cherie DeVaux 29 24% 45% Avg
13
4
12
Ron Moquett 29 0% 21% Bad
6
11
12
Randy L Morse 27 11% 33% Bad
9
6
12
Gregory D Foley 27 11% 37% Bad
10
3
14
W Bret Calhoun 26 8% 19% Bad
5
7
14
Ian R Wilkes 25 8% 32% Bad
8
6
11
George R Arnold II 25 12% 32% Poor
8
10
7
Robertino Diodoro 24 8% 38% Bad
9
4
11
Brian A Lynch 24 42% 71% Great
17
3
4
Christopher Davis 24 4% 38% Bad
9
5
10
William I Mott 23 13% 43% Poor
10
5
8
Thomas Drury Jr 23 0% 35% Bad
8
7
8
John Ennis 23 9% 61% Good
14
3
6
Norm W Casse 22 32% 50% Good
11
4
7
Michael A Tomlinson 22 9% 41% Avg
9
7
6
William Walden 21 19% 57% Great
12
4
5
Jordan Blair 21 14% 33% Bad
7
3
11
J Kent Sweezey 20 20% 45% Good
9
6
5
Philip A Bauer 20 10% 35% Bad
7
6
7
D Whitworth Beckman 20 20% 55% Great
11
5
4
J Keith Desormeaux 20 15% 25% Bad
5
5
10
Rodolphe Brisset 18 17% 39% Bad
7
3
8
Glenn S Wismer 17 6% 18% Bad
3
3
11
Michael W McCarthy 17 29% 59% Great
10
4
3
Barry L King 16 6% 31% Bad
5
5
6
Jesus Esquivel 16 0% 12% Bad
2
4
10
John Alexander Ortiz 15 7% 33% Bad
5
2
8
Kelsey Danner 15 13% 47% Bad
7
1
7
Rohan G Crichton 15 27% 33% Bad
5
3
7
Matt A Shirer 14 14% 43% Poor
6
3
5
Hemel Donnie K Von 14 0% 21% Bad
3
3
8
Paul J McGee 14 0% 29% Bad
4
6
4
Thomas D Vance 14 0% 14% Bad
2
2
10
Robert Medina 14 0% 29% Poor
4
7
3

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.