Private Purchases

[soflant]

What is the best way I can tell if a horse has been privately purchased from it's last race to today's race? Thanks so much in advance.

[classhandicapper]

Maybe there's an easier way, but in the past performances it will typically show a trainer change but no "c" for a claim. Then you can look at the PPs or result charts for the previous race and see who the owner was. If it was a different owner, that would mean it changed hands. The only way you'll miss one is if there is a new owner but he keeps the same trainer. In those cases, I'm not sure if there's an easy way other than tracking ownership.

In the old days, they didn't give you the trainer change info in the PPs. So you really had no way of knowing unless you were tracking trainers and their horses closely. Some people I know used to keep a folder for each trainer on their circuit with PPs for each of their horses. It's easier now with Formulator and other products.

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

In the old days, they didn't give you the trainer change info in the PPs. So you really had no way of knowing unless you were tracking trainers and their horses closely. Some people I know used to keep a folder for each trainer on their circuit with PPs for each of their horses. It's easier now with Formulator and other products.

I begged-literally BEGGED- management decades ago to flag change-of-hands runners in our track program. I even compiled a (sizeable) list of extreme form reversals apparently engendered by this angle. "Nobody cares," I was told. Looking back, I'm not sure they even grasped what I was proposing. And the racing office's old-school "cut-book," a particularly cumbersome tome configured for the exact purpose of catching private sales and changes of trainers, would have made this measure a breeze.

What a shame. Even then lots of sharpies considered T-racing a trainer's game-a characterization since borne out 100000x over. And putting that info out there has proven more than a boon to DRF, and, to some extent, even a game changer for weekend players.

Back then I had all sorts of notions about contorting racing office tools and info into handicapping aids. I still use a few for that purpose when prepping for the show.

[classhandicapper]

I remember a race in particular where there was a trainer change to Peter Ferriola. At the time, he was the "super trainer" that was moving horses up a lot and everyone knew it. When he got a horse that was claimed, it would get crushed at the windows.

A good friend of mine was very trainer pattern oriented. He had a folder on everyone in NY. I met him at the track one day and he told me there was a 1st time Ferriola running that day with very good back form. I had no idea. It was a private purchase, nothing was in the DRF or program and none of the public handicappers noticed it. It paid over $20. Information required a lot more work back in those days, but you got paid for it.

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

I remember a race in particular where there was a trainer change to Peter Ferriola. At the time, he was the "super trainer" that was moving horses up a lot and everyone knew it. When he got a horse that was claimed, it would get crushed at the windows.

A good friend of mine was very trainer pattern oriented. He had a folder on everyone in NY. I met him at the track one day and he told me there was a 1st time Ferriola running that day with very good back form. I had no idea. It was a private purchase, nothing was in the DRF or program and none of the public handicappers noticed it. It paid over $20. Information required a lot more work back in those days, but you got paid for it.

Was Ferriola listed as the trainer? Were people only looking at claims and public sales?

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by ranchwest

Was Ferriola listed as the trainer? Were people only looking at claims and public sales?

He was listed as the trainer, but you had no idea from the PPs that he wasn’t the trainer for the previous races unless you remembered that the horse was trained by someone else previously. Without that knowledge, you took his PPs at face value instead of assuming the horse was very likely to move up sharply and back to his best back form on the trainer change (which he did).

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

He was listed as the trainer, but you had no idea from the PPs that he wasn’t the trainer for the previous races unless you remembered that the horse was trained by someone else previously. Without that knowledge, you took his PPs at face value instead of assuming the horse was very likely to move up sharply and back to his best back form on the trainer change (which he did).

I see. Now some PP's and some data files include the previous trainer information.

I once knew of an owner group who would only go to the track if their trainer gave them the thumbs up. Some friends of mine would go looking for them to see if it was a green light. The owners liked being in the winners circle photo.

[aaron]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

He was listed as the trainer, but you had no idea from the PPs that he wasn’t the trainer for the previous races unless you remembered that the horse was trained by someone else previously. Without that knowledge, you took his PPs at face value instead of assuming the horse was very likely to move up sharply and back to his best back form on the trainer change (which he did).

Wow,I think I remember that. Was it Greg who uncovered it ?

[plainolebill]

Thoroughmanager at HDW has that information in the PPs.

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by plainolebill

Thoroughmanager at HDW has that information in the PPs.

Quick Grid has the trainer, the previous trainer(s) and the records of all, along with a score based on the record(s), last 10 races.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by aaron

Wow,I think I remember that. Was it Greg who uncovered it ?

No. That was my friend Steve. I'm sure you met him a few times, but he hasn't been at the track for a very long time other than Belmont Stakes days.

I'd be willing to bet Greg knew it too.

I miss those days.