Thursday, May 9, 2013

Premier Information: Horse Trainers Know Their Role!

Not quite the double feature we promised yesterday, but how about something fresh and new today? You can't say we're not good to you!

Today we take a brief look at the role of ;

The Racehorse Trainer.


Producing winners is a twofold process. Firstly the training of a horse to capture peak race
fitness, then the sometimes underestimated part, successfully “placing” a horse in the right
race which will aid its chances of winning.

Some trainers concentrate so hard on the first aspect that they fail to get the best out of
the horse with regard to placing it in the right race. Other trainers are extremely skilful at
finding very poor contests that can give a moderate horse a really strong chance of winning.

Over the jumps, Martin Pipe was in my view, head and shoulders above his contemporaries
in studying form and placing horses to best effect. This stable were extremely shrewd in
taking extreme care where horses were placed and it is fair to say that this continues today
in the hands of Martin’s son David who is now running things at Pond House Stables. Other
trainers, who I will not name, may well be adept at getting a horse well prepared, but lack
the same skills as the Pipe yard when it comes to placing their horses in the right race.

On the flat, someone such as Sir Mark Prescott takes clearly gives massive consideration to
placing his horses in the right races, whereas others (and again I won’t name them) do not
quite shine in quite the same way.

A high win to runner ratio declares purpose, whilst a poor strike rate merely suggests
optimism. So many trainers look at their own horses through rose coloured spectacles!
A successful trainer is likely to maintain a level of achievement, whereas an unsuccessful
trainer seems unable to redeem the situation. In choosing horses to back, one becomes
very aware of these aspects by considering a trainer’s record in terms of course, meetings
and jockey partnerships.

When it comes to backing a horse, think about the performance of the trainer. What are
his current stats? Does he place horses shrewdly? Is he a consistently under performing
trainer? I am so tempted to name a few of the trainers who I believe fail to make the most
of the ammunition in their stables. But, on this occasion, I shall keep my opinions to myself.

No comments:

Post a Comment