About Trainers

[Faster]

What makes a 25+% WR trainer? What do they do better than other trainers?

These are some of the things I am thinking of but have no proof :)

1) Training -- advanced training techniques i.e. interval training, etc.
2) Resources -- new technology, pools, massages, private tracks, Intermittent Hypoxic Training, treadmills, etc.
3) Pharmaceutical -- therapeutic, legal and illegal drugs
4) Various secret techniques -- whispering and what-have-you
5) Placing their charges better
6)

What do Pletchers, Assmusens and Dutrows do? What does Todd Beattie (36 WR and 73% ITM) do that is different?

[boomman]

What makes a 25+% WR trainer? What do they do better than other trainers?

These are some of the things I am thinking of but have no proof :)

1) Training -- advanced training techniques i.e. interval training, etc.
2) Resources -- new technology, pools, massages, private tracks, Intermittent Hypoxic Training, treadmills, etc.
3) Pharmaceutical -- therapeutic, legal and illegal drugs
4) Various secret techniques -- whispering and what-have-you
5) Placing their charges better
6)

What do Pletchers, Assmusens and Dutrows do? What does Todd Beattie (36 WR and 73% ITM) do that is different?

Faster: Since Pletcher, Assmussen and Dutrow have all served recent suspensions for item #3 on your list, I would imagine that would be a good place to start in your thought process!:D

[Faster]

Faster: Since Pletcher, Assmussen and Dutrow have all served recent suspensions for item #3 on your list, I would imagine that would be a good place to start in your thought process!:D

I agree that a good vet is probably part of the successful team, and that there may be a fine line between therapeutic and performance enhancing stuff, but surely there must be more to a 25+% winning trainer, no?

[GaryG]

I agree that a good vet is probably part of the successful team, and that there may be a fine line between therapeutic and performance enhancing stuff, but surely there must be more to a 25+% winning trainer, no?I had the pleasure of spending some time with Tom Amoss at a Nawlins watering hole a few years ago. I believe that his success is due to attention to detail more than anything. You will find that these trainers are tireless workers with a tremendous drive for success. Amoss has an employee who takes detailed notes on every horse's appearance in the paddock to assist with future claims. Amoss does not have a lfar flung operation like the others but he is consistently around the 30% mark. As far as I know he has never been in trouble for illegal medication.

[betchatoo]

I had a friend who is a trainer at Arlington. I once asked him about Amoss' success. He said great owners. He said that Amoss is rarely, if ever asked to run a horse in a race where it's not ready or against competition it can't handle.

[GaryG]

I had a friend who is a trainer at Arlington. I once asked him about Amoss' success. He said great owners. He said that Amoss is rarely, if ever asked to run a horse in a race where it's not ready or against competition it can't handle.Well, Maggi Moss has caused him some grief lately. There was a turf sprinter that she brought back from the west coast and insisted that Amoss run him in a route. He failed. A reporter asked him how the horse would run and he said "I don't know, the owner wants him in there". Otherwise I think you are right, that he has plenty of freedom. He sure doesn't hesitate to drop them in class when they need it.

[jotb]

What makes a 25+% WR trainer? What do they do better than other trainers?

These are some of the things I am thinking of but have no proof :)

1) Training -- advanced training techniques i.e. interval training, etc.
2) Resources -- new technology, pools, massages, private tracks, Intermittent Hypoxic Training, treadmills, etc.
3) Pharmaceutical -- therapeutic, legal and illegal drugs
4) Various secret techniques -- whispering and what-have-you
5) Placing their charges better
6)

What do Pletchers, Assmusens and Dutrows do? What does Todd Beattie (36 WR and 73% ITM) do that is different?


GOOD STOCK.

joe

[Greyfox]

Good trainers get better stock, attract better jockeys, and pay attention to details ( physical and medical care.) Some are absolutely wonderful with animals.
Having said all that:
How do the franchise trainers do it? Surely they can't have assistants in every track that know as much about horsemanship as they do? When one of them claims a runner at it speeds up by 10 or more lengths after 3 weeks of training
yuh gotta wonder.

[46zilzal]

Horses make the trainers as much as the other way around. Cam Gambolloti? David Cross Jr.?

Just as much as Whittingham, Pletcher or Woodys Stephens

[kenwoodallpromos]

IMO the better trainers probably make more sure their horses are in top shape to run (machine exams and enough rest), and chose better race placement. A horse that is 100% that contends in every race has a big advantage.
I also think a trainer that has shipping options may do better- trainer in So Cal for instance do not as many shipping options for lower to mid-level runners as those trainers with large stables on the East Coast. Todd Pletcher website sometimes shows stakes horse entered in 2 or more races, and the choice is made late which one to run in.
April 7 and 11 Pletcher scratched total 4 horses because they ran in other races; Cowtown Cat was entered in 2 in 1 day April 7!

[Faster]

Horses make the trainers as much as the other way around. Cam Gambolloti? David Cross Jr.?

Just as much as Whittingham, Pletcher or Woodys Stephens


What about Todd Beattie? Does he have exceptional horses? According to Equibase he has had over 100 starts with three quarters of them ITM. 36% WR. What does he do that other don't?

[GaryG]

Horses make the trainers as much as the other way around. Cam Gambolloti? David Cross Jr.?

Just as much as Whittingham, Pletcher or Woodys StephensNot when you look at the results when a top trainer claims from a low % guy. Woody and Charlie didn't train claimers. This angle has made me money for years.

[jma]

What about Todd Beattie? Does he have exceptional horses? According to Equibase he has had over 100 starts with three quarters of them ITM. 36% WR. What does he do that other don't?

He might have good stock relative to the rest of Penn National though...but I do believe that #3 on the list plays a part here. You have to be careful though---these things run in cycles. For example, Wayne Catalano, if you bet his first off the claims last year, you'd have gotten slaughtered. Other times, he's lights out, but usually at 6-5. So, it's not as easy as it looks. Anyway, as far as Beattie, he must just be a skilled horsemen. ;)

[ranchwest]

As far as "franchise" trainers, they never ask "Can you hear me now?" They obviously have good cell phone service because some of them seem to live on the cell phone.

I think the good trainers utilize vets. Not just for unfair advantages, but also to check out the horses and do what should be routine maintenance.

As for the short-term turnarounds, this is not necessarily always off of illegal meds. Address the horse's teeth, hooves, mouth, throat and internals and the horse may turn around a lot. Also, give the horse premium feed instead of the cheap stuff.

Also, looking for something new. Get a goat companion, a different hot walker, whatever.

It all comes down to tireless work. Talk to a guy like Donnie von Hemmel and you get a sense of how he stays in the business - he works.

[BIG49010]

They make good claims, and they run them back where they can win, when they are ready. Catalano will wait weeks, months, years until they are ready to run back and win. If they need to drop 20k in claiming price they do it, sometimes the owner is not happy about it, but I am sure that the win makes it easyer.

[PaceAdvantage]

I had a friend who is a trainer at Arlington. I once asked him about Amoss' success. He said great owners. He said that Amoss is rarely, if ever asked to run a horse in a race where it's not ready or against competition it can't handle.

Excellent point. I hear Contessa makes all the calls for Winning Move in NY...that may be one of the reasons they are top owner/trainer. A lot of owners won't let their trainer run a horse where he truly belongs....