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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 +
Manny Perez 1056 10% 35% Bad
368
281
407
Eduardo Rodriguez 642 17% 45% Avg
287
172
183
Larry Rivelli 599 26% 60% Great
357
132
110
Earl W Hughes 567 5% 23% Bad
131
191
245
Scott Becker 543 27% 64% Great
348
97
98
Antonio Meraz 508 19% 48% Good
243
124
141
Hugo Rodriguez 491 16% 43% Avg
209
148
134
Hugh H Robertson 486 23% 53% Great
260
93
133
John Haran 427 9% 34% Bad
147
138
142
Steve Manley 415 18% 48% Good
200
98
117
Chris M Block 407 22% 58% Great
237
88
82
Michael L Reavis 391 21% 55% Great
215
94
82
Brian Cook 368 8% 31% Bad
115
110
143
Fernando Bahena 360 11% 35% Bad
126
94
140
Michele Boyce 348 20% 57% Great
200
78
70
Vance Childers 347 8% 32% Bad
112
91
144
Berg Brittany A Vanden 324 31% 61% Great
198
77
49
James M Watkins 311 18% 49% Good
151
84
76
Dee Poulos 305 14% 45% Avg
136
86
83
Frank J Kirby 304 14% 44% Avg
133
86
85
Armando Hernandez 296 23% 56% Great
165
86
45
Blanca Candelas 278 5% 36% Bad
100
76
102
Robert Pompell 275 7% 24% Bad
66
76
133
Max Quinonez 258 16% 46% Avg
118
68
72
Ingrid Mason 248 14% 40% Poor
98
72
78
Harry E Lynch 245 3% 22% Bad
55
50
140
Cheryl Winebaugh 239 17% 48% Good
115
61
63
Rodolfo Aguilar 228 10% 34% Bad
77
66
85
Tanner Tracy 225 12% 38% Poor
86
59
80
Joel Zawitz 221 10% 37% Bad
81
62
78
Javier Hernandez 215 7% 33% Bad
70
72
73
Ida Spagnola 208 7% 34% Poor
71
77
60
Dino DiZeo 203 12% 36% Poor
73
63
67
Leonard M Slager 202 7% 32% Bad
64
54
84
Joel Berndt 198 16% 54% Great
107
48
43
Joel Campbell 197 14% 47% Good
92
65
40
Ralph Martinez 191 16% 50% Good
96
57
38
Patti R Miller 190 9% 34% Bad
64
45
81
John C Wainwright 186 2% 27% Bad
50
60
76
Chris A Ryan 181 6% 26% Bad
47
49
85
James P DiVito 160 28% 54% Great
87
42
31
Brian Williamson 157 21% 46% Good
72
42
43
Karl Broberg 154 22% 52% Good
80
30
44
Jose G Rodriguez 151 18% 47% Good
71
43
37
Wayne M Catalano 150 29% 54% Great
81
30
39
Frank C Randazzo 150 10% 36% Bad
54
34
62
Barr H Inman 148 7% 31% Bad
46
47
55
David R Reid 143 13% 41% Avg
59
43
41
Elias Lopez 140 21% 50% Good
70
32
38
Coty W Rosin 139 17% 42% Avg
58
43
38

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.