Posted on
11/7/2007 4:40:11 PM
Horse Race Betting: The Players
By Brian Mulligan
No matter how good a horse may be or how dominant, the people that stir the drink in horse racing are the trainers and riders and sometimes sharp bettors can take a nice clue and follow those lesser lights and come up with some big payoffs.
The highlight this meet in Inglewood is the Fall Festival and it should take the spotlight as a quality-laden group of horses from Europe are primed and set to roll.
Clever horse racing gamblers can scour the local standings and easily come up with some trainers that fly well under that radar but are just as effective as some of their high-profile counterparts.
One guy that had a dream meet this past summer at Hollywood Park is Marty Jones and it’s no surprise he knows what he is doing.
His dad, Gary, was one of the most successful trainers the West Coast has ever seen and obviously the apple has not fallen far from the tree.
All Marty did was hit with 15 of 52 starters last summer and 19 others in the money.
The numbers become even more exciting when you consider the trainer directly in front of him in the standings, John Sadler, had 19 winners but took 136 starters to get them.
Jones excels in a few areas. He is awesome with deep comebackers that have been away for 180 days or more and he cashes with those runners at a price.
When he adds blinkers, double up as he hits with about 27% of those starters at a gaudy flat-bet profit.
Just like his dad, he is great with stretch out runners hitting with nearly 25% of those runners with a $4.29 return on investment.
Bettors can only now blame themselves if they let Jones’ runners surprise them this meet.
Another trainer that never gets respect, despite the fact he has trained classic runners including Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, is John Shirreffs. He trains his horses slow and long, different than the normal California style, but a style that really seems to work in this synthetic era.
He sent out 32 starters at Hollypark last summer and greeted 11 of them back in the charmed circle.
Because he doesn’t sizzle his young horses, they are often prices. He can pop at nearly 20% with first time starters and he boasts a $3.45 return on investment with debuters.
Shirreffs is much better percentage wise going sprint to route but can pop at better prices going route to sprint.
In the long run, this long arm of the law is better with horses that need a foundation and like to carry their speed. He just has a knack at getting a horse to peak going a route of ground
As far as underrated jockeys to look for this meet, bettors should try to stay away from the flavor of the month and look for value deep in the rider colony.
If you look hard enough, you will find that Martin Garcia is riding as well as just about anybody right now. Joel Rosario, a Northern California implant, seldom gets bet but can horseback when he gets anything close to a live mount.
And those that follow the quarter horse set know that Agapito Delgadillo can hustle horses out of the gate with the best of them and he will likely build on his 20-win meeting last summer.
Lastly, clever bettors have to zig when others zag and try to get paid.
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