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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 +
Willis Eddie D 705 17% 46% Avg
326
171
208
Young Scott E 621 24% 58% Great
361
133
127
Williams Steve F 578 11% 39% Avg
226
210
142
Keener Dee 512 17% 44% Avg
225
127
160
Crawford Clinton 487 13% 37% Poor
180
133
174
Ruiz Jesus Ruben 457 17% 47% Good
215
120
122
Espiritu Lucio 398 9% 28% Bad
112
108
178
Whitekiller Matt 389 21% 52% Good
204
75
110
Villafranco Luis 379 10% 32% Bad
123
102
154
Olmstead Jason L 379 24% 53% Great
202
76
101
Corderman Scott 361 6% 30% Bad
107
130
124
Williams J Alan 355 20% 54% Great
193
80
82
Offolter Joe S 350 18% 48% Good
168
92
90
Hurdle Michelle 343 20% 48% Good
163
81
99
Bravo Francisco 326 20% 52% Good
169
78
79
Dixon Tim 323 14% 42% Avg
137
110
76
Valdivia Guillermo 310 10% 35% Bad
110
76
124
Escamilla-Gonzalez Everardo N 305 5% 23% Bad
70
77
158
Hernandez Salimm 298 12% 34% Bad
102
78
118
Caster Boyd 292 16% 48% Good
140
85
67
Davidson M Brent 287 16% 49% Good
140
88
59
Buehrer Mark W 276 14% 47% Good
130
79
67
Craddock Kari 269 24% 57% Great
153
57
59
Enlow Ray A 268 13% 43% Avg
114
72
82
Walker Gary K 245 10% 34% Poor
83
82
80
Pruitt Jody 243 16% 42% Avg
102
81
60
Willis Eddie Lee 233 15% 44% Avg
103
66
64
Gladd Andy 228 21% 54% Great
123
50
55
Chavira Luz 226 11% 38% Poor
86
61
79
Swan Patrick E 224 12% 41% Avg
92
73
59
Capps Stacey L 220 15% 43% Avg
94
67
59
Ashford H Ray 213 20% 53% Great
112
55
46
Broberg Karl 207 19% 55% Great
113
57
37
Villafranco Jose Cruz 202 9% 32% Bad
65
57
80
Nolen Kenneth 201 17% 46% Good
93
53
55
Covarrubias Rodrigo 199 7% 30% Bad
60
52
87
Ruiz Carlos Ruiz 193 17% 47% Avg
90
38
65
Norton Mallory 186 4% 25% Bad
46
49
91
Ibarra Jose 180 10% 36% Bad
65
52
63
Johnson Tammy Kay 179 16% 39% Poor
70
50
59
Padilla Carlos A 166 8% 33% Bad
54
47
65
Alexander L C 163 4% 20% Bad
33
52
78
Rodriguez Marti L 158 6% 25% Bad
40
40
78
Mancillas Juliana 155 6% 27% Bad
42
35
78
Luneack Theresa Sue 154 18% 56% Great
87
30
37
Licona-Vazquez Juvenal V 154 13% 36% Bad
55
36
63
Oberlander Jesse 153 9% 30% Bad
46
48
59
Hale James Victor 148 11% 38% Poor
56
41
51
Rodriguez-Garcia Erik N 147 11% 32% Bad
47
32
68
Padilla Juan 144 14% 41% Avg
59
43
42

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.