How to Pick the Right Jockey and Trainer

Thoroughbreds are purest athletes in the world, but remember the trainers are the coaches. 365 days a year they watch, feed, workout, plan upcoming races, take care of medicine and etc. When you are around a horse day to day they can leave subtle signs that are very important. For example Their coat losing sheen, leaving food in the tub, or a sore ankle that is not responding to treatment.  The best trainers in the world watch their horses carefully.

Jerry Hollendorfers a famous trainers said “Every race takes something out of a horse or puts something into him. If you keep putting a horse over his head at the wrong distance the only thing he will learn is how to lose.

The trainer in horse racing betting are crucial to the future running ability of the horse in question. Race selection and making sure the horse is in good form to race is the responsibility of the trainer.

Its important to note the top trainers at the horse track and the ones that are grouped with Jockey for a high win %.  Any daily racing form out there will give you these stats if its early in the year review the top ones for last year. Why not look at the factor of who is getting the most bang for their buck. Like anything in the world there are good trainers and bad trainers. Make a mental note on who the good ones are along with what their specialty might be.

Horses usually move down off a loss or up off a nice win but this isn’t always the case. Some trainers have finished 3rd in a 10,000 claiming race and moved up to a 14,000 claiming race for a win. The key point is to always try to understand the trainers motive so you can make a true assessment on what he is trying to accomplish.

Remember in claiming races that a horse will not keep his form from race to race. The reason these horse is in a claiming (especially cheap claiming) is that they are unable to sustain winning form. A trainer needs to know how to treat many ailments in claiming races and bring a horse to form quickly. Know who the top trainers are for the horse track you are handicapping.

Jockeys can make or break a race they are ones who know the ins and outs of the track they are at and find a way in the winners column. Last year I watched the top Jockey at Fairmount win 5 races in a row and almost 6 missing it by a length. On that particular day all you needed was his name to bet on Hernandez and you would have made a killing!! Different tracks  have track bias there will be days where you will have a rail that is dead and a favorite could not win on it. The top Jockeys find this information out quick and will steer their horse accordingly. I believe this top Jockey at Fairmount found a track bias and did not share it with his jockey friends.

When you are at a track get in the habit of knowing the  top trainers and the Jockeys some will have different qualities that can help you handicap a difficult race. You will see patterns in the trainers and their strategies in winning. Take notes on trends that you spot in horse racing betting and it will pay off sooner or later. Spotting one golden opportunity can be the difference between a good day and bad day at the track.

When reviewing the racing form at the bottom of each entry you will see these statistics it will have a specific category~ex: going sprint to route, dirt to turf, 1st time starters then it will have some #s in parenthesis. For example 1st time starters(12 .17  $1.83) These are big clues to what this specific trainers has done in the past. 12= the total #’s of starts,  .17= win% and $1.83= return on a $2 bet. The Median average for the trainers is 12 to 14% so take note of anything above this on each category. A horse might be showing life or poised for a great race but a sloppy impatient trainer has the ability to botch things up.

With Jockeys its like any profession out there. You have your really good ones and then you have the ones that are just trying to earn a paycheck. Spotting talent early can be crucial when you are looking at apprentice Jockeys. Cauthen lost the first time he rode in 1976, but just a week later he won. In 1978, he was the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown aboard Affirmed, but then again, he was riding Affirmed. For anyone who spotted Cauthen’s talent early and started betting him, there were some nice payoffs. You will sometimes come across a young jockey that flashes some early signs of brilliance. Take notes these might become your Pat Days of the future.

Be aware of the trainers that fall in love with their horses as well. This may sound crazy but some fall in love with their horses and do not want to lose them in the claiming circle. These trainers seldom win and are there for the sport and filling a spot in the gate.

Make sure you keep in mind that no trainer or jockey can compensate for a horse that is not fit or way out classed. Trainers have their own strategies and reasons for doing what they do. The trainer has full control of what races the horse is being entered in. They are maneuvering horses up and down in class for particular reasons. There are strategies for betting based on the trainers actions that have been dynamite over the years. For more info look under Free tips and strategies.

The Trainers job is to get the horse ready to compete and win or start to place in the money. They understand sometimes this is a work in process and the horse will need a few races under his belt for experience before it finds a class of horses it can win at. Look for the trainers who are approaching that class to where they are poised for a win. They will be maneuvering their horse up and down in class to find the money.

Most studies demonstrate that a change in jockey, weight and post position has little effect of the outcome, however when coupled with drop in class the statistics tell us something different. The profits regularly soar if you spot a play where a horse is switching to a leading or good jockey and taking a drop in class. When you spot this play regardless of odds it can pay off nicely. Here are the simple guidelines:

1.) The horse must be taking a drop in class

2.) The trainer must be switching jockeys from either a lower to a higher category. When the horse is dropping in class and the trainer is switching him to a hot jockey this is a potent combination.

If this is happening in a big field of horses on more than one horse the tie breaker can be any of the following.

*switching to a rider who has won before with the horse

*switching to a “leading jockey”

*Dropping from allowance to $40,000 claiming or less

*switching to a rider with a well known talent for the type of race.

If you have a couple a nice exacta might pay big and if you see a long shot with this combination you might be setting yourself up for a nice ticket.

There is a strategy where a horse that is coming back after a big layoff can pay big dividends when the opportunity is right.

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5 Comments

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  By Anonymous, April 26, 2011 @ 12:03 am

  they sure really have a hard work…
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  By admin, January 19, 2012 @ 7:48 am

  Yeah that is very true. Its amazing on how much a Jockey plays into a horse race. Some of the best
  have a pretty big factor
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  By richard, June 22, 2014 @ 12:15 pm

  my favourite is when trainer use a horse to train at the back of the race that the best longshot I see

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