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.

New to our tools? Read the handicapping tools guide. Also, 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 +
E Padilla-Preciado 96 25% 54% Great
52
22
22
Jamie Ness 80 22% 55% Great
44
25
11
Michael V Pino 75 27% 57% Great
43
15
17
Jacinto Solis 61 7% 28% Bad
17
19
25
Scott A Lake 59 12% 36% Bad
21
14
24
Ruperto A Perez 59 8% 31% Bad
18
22
19
Robert E Reid Jr 56 18% 48% Good
27
14
15
Trevor Gallimore 50 6% 30% Bad
15
10
25
J Santaella-Calderon 49 6% 27% Bad
13
14
22
Miguel A Rodriguez 49 16% 59% Great
29
9
11
Kathleen A Demasi 49 12% 47% Good
23
15
11
Miguel Penaloza 47 11% 45% Poor
21
8
18
Lewis Uriah St 45 4% 16% Bad
7
15
23
J Guadalupe Guerrero 42 12% 36% Bad
15
11
16
Louis C Linder Jr 39 10% 41% Poor
16
9
14
Jorge Diaz 37 8% 30% Bad
11
6
20
Howard R Brown Jr 36 3% 19% Bad
7
13
16
Martinez E Soto- 35 9% 31% Bad
11
7
17
Ilias Tapsas 32 16% 44% Avg
14
7
11
J G Gonzalez-Milian 31 0% 19% Bad
6
15
10
Marya K Montoya 31 13% 42% Poor
13
7
11
Michael M Moore 28 18% 50% Avg
14
3
11
Robert Mosco 28 11% 39% Bad
11
6
11
Hugo O Padilla 28 14% 57% Great
16
6
6
Irving Rodriguez 26 12% 46% Avg
12
7
7
Richard Vega 26 12% 42% Poor
11
6
9
Esteban Padilla 26 38% 69% Great
18
6
2
Harold Wyner 26 12% 42% Avg
11
8
7
Juan Carlos Guerrero 25 36% 68% Great
17
6
2
Ronald B Abrams 24 21% 54% Good
13
4
7
Carlos E Caban 23 17% 61% Great
14
5
4
Alexander Martinez 22 9% 36% Poor
8
7
7
Eli Betancourt 22 5% 36% Poor
8
8
6
Bobbi Anne Hawthorne 21 10% 38% Bad
8
2
11
J Tyler Servis 21 24% 48% Good
10
5
6
Guadalupe Preciado 20 15% 55% Great
11
6
3
Alfredo Velazquez 19 32% 79% Great
15
2
2
John T Kirby 18 0% 17% Bad
3
7
8
Jack Abrams 18 6% 33% Bad
6
6
6
John C Servis 16 19% 50% Good
8
4
4
Philip T Aristone 15 0% 40% Poor
6
5
4
Edward J Coletti Jr 15 7% 27% Bad
4
5
6
Teresa Hagemeier 14 7% 50% Good
7
4
3
Susan L Crowell 14 14% 50% Avg
7
2
5
Gustavo Chacon 14 21% 57% Great
8
2
4
Julio Rodriguez 14 14% 50% Good
7
4
3
Roberto J Rosado 14 7% 50% Avg
7
3
4
Angel Castillo Jr 14 7% 21% Bad
3
4
7
Saffie A Joseph Jr 14 21% 57% Good
8
1
5
Melecio S Guerrero 13 23% 23% Bad
3
0
10

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.