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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 +
Breen Kelly J 799 21% 48% Good
383
203
213
McBurney Patrick B 629 14% 41% Avg
255
185
189
Huston Rory K 620 10% 36% Poor
224
181
215
Dini Michael 571 11% 36% Poor
207
173
191
Gonzalez Claudio A 562 20% 54% Great
302
143
117
Sweezey J Kent 540 15% 41% Poor
222
130
188
Delgado Jose H 485 22% 56% Great
274
121
90
Sacco Gregory D 435 15% 46% Avg
200
111
124
Spina Chuck 427 12% 40% Poor
171
119
137
Navarro Jorge 403 38% 67% Great
271
85
47
O'Connell Kathleen 401 15% 38% Poor
152
104
145
Farro Patricia 361 11% 37% Poor
135
98
128
Ryan Derek S 337 10% 35% Bad
117
96
124
Nunn Douglas 333 13% 38% Poor
128
86
119
Brown Chad C 330 31% 65% Great
213
66
51
Carvajal Luis 308 16% 44% Avg
136
77
95
Potts Wayne 299 21% 53% Great
159
68
72
Wilson Tony 299 14% 40% Avg
121
87
91
Hollendorfer Jerry 275 24% 60% Great
164
53
58
Einhorn Skip 274 8% 40% Poor
109
76
89
Ortega Leopoldo M 268 10% 37% Bad
98
67
103
Demasi K A 255 14% 44% Avg
113
65
77
Mazza Joseph W 255 5% 28% Bad
72
83
100
Pimental John I 252 8% 27% Bad
69
68
115
Stephens John D 243 12% 37% Poor
90
68
85
Foglia Anthony 236 2% 25% Bad
60
71
105
Serey Jr Mario 235 11% 43% Avg
101
76
58
Avila Juan Carlos 225 12% 38% Poor
85
66
74
Hogan William J 221 5% 24% Bad
54
62
105
Pletcher Todd A 219 22% 56% Great
122
57
40
Servis Jason 218 33% 74% Great
161
31
26
Frangella James A 218 7% 33% Bad
72
64
82
Mc Allen John P 212 6% 33% Bad
70
59
83
Duarte Jr Jorge 207 23% 56% Great
115
54
38
Stidham Michael 205 18% 53% Good
108
49
48
Hills Timothy A 197 15% 48% Avg
94
45
58
Cash Russell J 194 4% 35% Bad
68
47
79
Margotta Anthony R 186 15% 45% Avg
83
48
55
Delgado Jorge 177 23% 53% Great
94
48
35
Cibelli Jane 172 22% 49% Good
85
39
48
Bennett Gerald S 167 14% 38% Poor
63
44
60
Trombetta Michael J 146 22% 50% Good
73
36
37
Hogan Jr William J 141 6% 21% Bad
30
35
76
Servis John C 135 10% 34% Bad
46
43
46
Camejo Jose M 135 11% 41% Avg
56
45
34
Milne Joan 132 11% 42% Poor
55
34
43
Owens Jr Eddie 130 18% 52% Good
68
29
33
McCarthy Brenda 130 5% 32% Bad
41
35
54
Lucas Bonnie 130 12% 47% Avg
61
35
34
Kelly Timothy James 127 3% 23% Bad
29
44
54

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.