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 +
Steven M Asmussen 196 24% 52% Great
101
53
42
Scott E Young 83 14% 43% Poor
36
19
28
Joe S Offolter 69 13% 39% Avg
27
24
18
Francisco Bravo 63 13% 38% Poor
24
15
24
Justin R Evans 61 13% 43% Poor
26
15
20
Steve F Williams 56 5% 21% Bad
12
9
35
Oscar Flores 55 9% 51% Good
28
16
11
Danny Pish 51 10% 39% Avg
20
18
13
M Brent Davidson 49 6% 31% Bad
15
17
17
Ronnie E Cravens III 49 6% 41% Poor
20
13
16
J R Caldwell 46 13% 37% Poor
17
16
13
Robertino Diodoro 46 24% 43% Avg
20
11
15
Mark W Buehrer 42 12% 40% Poor
17
10
15
Austin Gustafson 41 29% 59% Great
24
6
11
Mindy J Willis 41 7% 34% Bad
14
9
18
Scott Corderman 40 20% 45% Good
18
12
10
Tristan Ashford 39 10% 31% Bad
12
13
14
Dick Cappellucci 39 18% 54% Great
21
10
8
Jaime Castellanos 37 8% 19% Bad
7
13
17
Boyd Caster 34 12% 32% Poor
11
14
9
Juan Padilla 31 3% 16% Bad
5
10
16
C R Trout 31 23% 61% Great
19
8
4
Kari Craddock 31 16% 39% Avg
12
11
8
Miguel Angel Silva 29 21% 34% Bad
10
3
16
Patrick E Swan 27 0% 33% Bad
9
3
15
Isaiah Ortiz 27 7% 41% Avg
11
10
6
Jesse Sauceda 26 8% 35% Bad
9
5
12
Terry Eoff 24 12% 25% Bad
6
2
16
A Ramirez-Rodriguez 23 17% 61% Great
14
4
5
Sarah Nicole Davidson 22 5% 41% Bad
9
3
10
J Alan Williams 20 0% 30% Bad
6
7
7
Wade Rarick 20 5% 20% Bad
4
4
12
Karen E Jacks 20 25% 35% Avg
7
6
7
Jody Pruitt 19 5% 37% Bad
7
5
7
W Bret Calhoun 19 26% 53% Great
10
7
2
Shon M Dunlap 18 11% 22% Bad
4
6
8
Tim Dixon 18 0% 22% Bad
4
6
8
Victor Hanson 18 6% 11% Bad
2
4
12
Shawn H Davis 17 6% 41% Bad
7
3
7
Allen C Dupuy 17 6% 24% Bad
4
1
12
Mike Abney 16 12% 31% Bad
5
3
8
Marti L Rodriguez 16 6% 12% Bad
2
3
11
Michael E Biehler 16 12% 56% Avg
9
1
6
Jesse Oberlander 16 0% 31% Bad
5
4
7
Steve Martin 14 7% 29% Bad
4
5
5
Mark C Lee 13 8% 31% Bad
4
5
4
Gwendolyn K Crosser 13 31% 46% Great
6
4
3
Alex T Hartman 13 31% 54% Great
7
3
3
Travis Swan Murphy 12 17% 50% Poor
6
1
5
Jayde J Gelner 12 25% 50% Good
6
2
4

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.