A frequent question asked by new fans trying to learn more about horse racing is, “Where do I begin?” My immediate response is generally, “Get to know your trainers.” While learning about topics like distance, class, and pace are important … in my opinion, none are as important as learning about the tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses of trainers. With that thought in mind, we continue our series of articles called “Know Your Trainers.” In this series we will dig into the statistics of some head trainers and try to make sense of the numbers we find.
So let’s continue with a big name in the business presently, Todd Pletcher. Our focus will be on two main areas; Graded Stakes and 2-Year old horses. Statistics for this article were gathered on September 4, 2018.
So let’s continue with a big name in the business presently, Chad Brown. Our focus will be on two main areas; Graded Stakes and 2-Year old horses, with a couple of extras that we uncovered by surprise. We limited the data to the past year. And statistics for this article were gathered on August 3, 2018.
Includes data through July 23, 2015 (with a recent update on a Bill Mott turnaround category).
Here is an update on two of the big names in the business, Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott. Our focus will be on two main areas; Graded Stakes and First Time Starters (FTS). The statistics presented were gathered with Daily Racing Form’s online software Formulator. We limited the data to the past two years, but you can go back five years if you want a larger sample of data.
Back in the good old days when I first started playing the horses (’72), this used to be an easy game to wager on. After handicapping the race, one simply went to the window and bet the selection to win, place or show. If a player really wanted to get exotic, then he or she could tie up two selections in a daily double.
Easy game. Can of corn. Now fast forward 43 years. The wagering menu has grown leaps and bounds both vertically and horizontally. From a vertical standpoint, there are now exactas, trifectas, superfectas and super5s. Horizontally, the game has evolved first into the Pick 3 and then wider into sequences demanding winners in 4, 5 6 and sometimes 9 consecutive races.
The two trainers in this article, Peter Miller and John Sadler, both work on the Southern California racing circuit.
In our recent reader survey we received several requests to see trainer comparisons on young trainers. We decided to pick two that we know well and have interviewed in the past. The two trainers are on different racing circuits. Tom Morley trains in New York, while Ben Colebrook prepares his charges in Kentucky.
In a prior article we introduced TimeformUS as “the new racing form in town!” Click here to read our overview of TimeformUS and our list of top ten features. In this article we will explore their Trainer Ratings and spot check a few specific examples in an attempt to verify their rating numbers. Before we do that, let’s explain the TimeformUS ratings system when it comes to trainers.
Below is an sample of a TimeformUS display for North American trainer, George Weaver.
On a recent visit to Belmont Park, I witnessed an exhilarating finish between Walk Close and Wave The Flag. Both horses rushed to the finish line, overtaking the 3-5 favorite Sweet Acclaim in the final yards. A nose separated the tandem at the wire. Together, they combined for a $155 exacta. The trainers of the top two finishers: Christophe Clement and Graham Motion. Below is a video replay of the exciting race. Walk Close is #3 and Wave The Flag is #7.
This race was a $100,000 turf stakes race. And, moments after the finish, I had a flashback to an eerily similar race at Keeneland in April where another two horses trained by Motion and Clement raced to the line, besting a 3-5 favorite in the Grade-3 $150,000 Bewitch Stakes. On that day the two trainer’s charges (Inimitable Romanee and Aigue Marine) combined for a $263 exacta. They went off at odds of 14-1 and 20-1. For those keeping score in these two races, it’s Motion-1 and Clement-1 … for a push.
For horseplayers that track trainer statistics, the outcome of these two races were predictable and profitable. We choose these two trainers for our next “Know Your Trainers” segment to explain why.