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Playing To Win

304 - TRAINERS

In handicapping, the trainer is more important than the jockey. After looking at a horse's past record, the trainer is probably the most important factor in determining the horse's chances for success today. The jockey is more high-profile sitting on the horse's back, but the jockey is only along for the ride. The trainer takes care of the horse day after day, and plays several roles:

Parent
Coach
Dietician
Athletic director

Each day the trainer is responsible for the horse's schedule, feeding and training. Ultimately, in his role as athletic director, a trainer must decide which level of opponents his horse is ready for and when. These are tough decisions, particularly when an optimistic owner wants to see his horse run to recoup his investment, sometimes at a higher level than is realistic.

Most trainers operate public stables and have several owners (as compared to a private contract with one owner). It's not the easiest way to make a living. In addition to caring for high strung mysterious thoroughbreds and trying to get them to run their best, there is a business side of equal importance. All the technical knowledge in the world won't help you unless you are able to attract and retain owners. The purse money is great (trainers earn 10% of a horse's purse winnings), but it is the $60-$100 daily rate charged per horse that meets the payroll and buys the oats. If you have enough horses in training and hold down your costs you can do quite well without ever winning a race.

Important points about trainers:

We don't have to know the reasons behind a trainer's winning percentage, but their records are fairly consistent over time.
Respect the decisions that good trainers make.
Be wary of decisions that low percentage trainers make.

Of course, it might be tough to retain your clientele if you never win, but you might do better than you would think. Some owners are pretty hard-nosed when it comes to their personal business but very tolerant when it comes to the horses that they own. This group enjoys ownership, considers it a hobby and doesn't mind losing somewhat. They rely on their trainer for advice not realizing that there can be built-in conflicts between what is in their best interests and the trainer's. Perhaps the horse needs a class drop to be more competitive. The marginal fellow might find it tough to make that suggestion. His horse might be claimed and then his daily fee he is relying upon will be gone if the owner doesn't find another horse, which he may not care to.

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