On a recent visit to Belmont Park, I witnessed an exhilarating finish between Walk Close and Wave The Flag. Both horses rushed to the finish line, overtaking the 3-5 favorite Sweet Acclaim in the final yards. A nose separated the tandem at the wire. Together, they combined for a $155 exacta. The trainers of the top two finishers: Christophe Clement and Graham Motion. Below is a video replay of the exciting race. Walk Close is #3 and Wave The Flag is #7.
This race was a $100,000 turf stakes race. And, moments after the finish, I had a flashback to an eerily similar race at Keeneland in April where another two horses trained by Motion and Clement raced to the line, besting a 3-5 favorite in the Grade-3 $150,000 Bewitch Stakes. On that day the two trainer’s charges (Inimitable Romanee and Aigue Marine) combined for a $263 exacta. They went off at odds of 14-1 and 20-1. For those keeping score in these two races, it’s Motion-1 and Clement-1 … for a push.
For horseplayers that track trainer statistics, the outcome of these two races were predictable and profitable. We choose these two trainers for our next “Know Your Trainers” segment to explain why.
A frequent question asked by new fans trying to learn more about horse racing is, “Where do I begin?” My immediate response is generally, “Get to know your trainers.” While learning about topics like distance, class, and pace are important … in my opinion, none are as important as learning about the tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses of trainers. With that thought in mind, we are starting a new series of articles called “Know Your Trainers.”
In this series we will dig into the statistics of some head trainers and try to make sense of the numbers we find. We thought it might be fun to present the numbers in a “competitive” manner by pairing trainers. With that said, we are not trying to judge the trainers or claim that one is better than another. Our intention is to pair trainers who have statistics in comparable categories and present some plausible reasons why they might differ.
So let’s start with two of the big names in the business, Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott. Our focus will be on two main areas; Graded Stakes and First Time Starters (FTS). The statistics presented were gathered with Daily Racing Form’s online software Formulator. We limited the data to the past two years, but you can go back five years if you want a larger sample of data.
In a prior article I explained how specific tendencies of Trainers can be sought out using the Daily Racing Form online software (known as DRF Formulator). When researching trainer statistics, I tend to separate them into “positive” trends (horse to bet on) and “negative” trends (horse to bet against). I thought it would be interesting to go back and check out a few examples of positive trends that I used to my advantage in the past. Read More >>
Beyer Speed Figures appear in the Daily Racing Form for races run in North America. These Figures represent a relative measure of how fast a horse finished in a prior race. The higher the number the faster the horse ran. The calculation of these figures is based on a formula created by Andrew Beyer and incorporated into the DRF starting in 1992. These Figures continue to be calculated by a group of individuals working on behalf of Andy Beyer. Read More >>
On Saturday, June 7, Christophe Clement will start a horse named Tonalist in the Belmont Stakes. A horse with only four starts, but considered by many to be the main threat to upset California Chrome’s pursuit of the Triple Crown. Back in January, over the course of two days, I spent several hours with Christophe and his stable of horses at Payson Park, including Tonalist, who would break his maiden in convincing style at Gulfstream Park less than two weeks after my visit. The following is the original interview, in it’s entirety.
Every now and then you meet someone who is truly happy … truly. And, when that happens, I find it inspiring. For one, it inspires me to pursue those things in life that make me truly happy. Secondly, to realize that happiness might not be as elusive as others would have you believe. It’s out there. It’s possible. And if you listen closely, Christophe Clement is telling us how to find it.
After greeting us at his office, he offered my wife and me a tour of the grounds. He explained that the best advice he ever got in the business was to bring his horses to Payson Park twenty years ago, and he’s been doing it ever since.
Of all the Triple Crown races, I’ve witnessed the Belmont Stakes in person more than any other. And I think I’ve seen it all. My very first was in 1991 when I watched Hansel desperately hold off Strike The Gold in deep stretch to win by a head, and complete his Preakness-Belmont Stakes double. And this completed my personal double of witnessing the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in the same year. The next year I saw heavily favored A.P. Indy, with his notable head down running style, grind out a win over a hard-charging European horse named My Memoirs, who was 18-1. Later that year A.P. Indy went on to win the Breeders Cup Classic, and was subsequently retired to stud, where he went on to be a tremendous success, siring more than 140 Stakes winners.
In 1998 I returned to watch Real Quiet’s attempt to win the Triple Crown. He went off the 4-5 favorite, and at the 1/8 pole he looked like a sure winner. One furlong remained … one furlong to winning the Triple Crown and having his owners collect a $5 million dollar bonus offered that year to any horse capable of winning the elusive Triple Crown.
Belmont Park is The Green Monster of Racetracks, with the largest oval of any thoroughbred racetrack in North America, 11/2 miles in circumference. That’s 12 furlongs, or put in relative terms, 3 furlongs longer than Saratoga and Aqueduct (the other two racetracks on the NYRA circuit). It’s 4 furlongs longer than Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Monmouth Park, and other 1-mile tracks. Again, in relative terms, that 50% longer than those racetracks. Also, unlike many other racetracks, there are virtually no restrictions in the possible distances that races can be run at Belmont.
Belmont is a visually stunning racetrack to witness in person. From the stands it seems like the backstretch is miles away. And, due to the structural design, there are no televisions mounted near the grandstand seats. For that reason, binoculars are as essential to the racing patron as a copy of the racing program and a cold draft beer. Fancy hats are optional.
On a recent trip to Kentucky, I had a chance to sit down with Ben Colebrook, a young head trainer in the Lexington, Kentucky area. Ben was formerly an Assistant Trainer to Christophe Clement. I was curious to learn what Ben took away from his experience with Christophe which spanned about 41/2 years.
Also, being a young guy, I was interested in his views about how to attract young people to follow the sport of horse racing. His response to that question was entertaining, and made me rethink some of my viewpoints on the same subject. So, without further adieu, meet Ben Colebrook.
Where are you from and how did you get started in horse racing?
I’m from central Kentucky. My dad was a farm manager and he trained horses. I came up breaking babies and working on the farm for my dad. Through college I galloped horses and worked the sales for some consignors and went to work for Bill Harrigan at Miacomet Farm breaking yearlings. From there I went to work for Fred Seitz, who was training horses; he owned a farm in Kentucky called Brookdale, but later on he decided to train, so I went to work for him for 3 ½ years. From there I went to work for Christophe Clement, starting in February of 2008, and I was with him until August of 2012, when I went out on my own.
What do Gary Stevens, John Lies, Craig O’Bryan, Kathy Ritvo, Temeraine, Kentucky Downs Racetrack, and Mucho Macho Man all have in common? They all played a part in winning the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Now admittedly, Mucho Macho Man was the main ingredient in this recipe for success. However, as with any good recipe, there were a number of subtleties that contributed to the savory result. This is a story about one such subtlety and explains the connection between the horses, racetrack, and people listed above.
Before I begin the story, let me explain that I was personally present at Kentucky Downs for Acts Two and Three. For that reason, I offer some of my own commentary on events as they unfolded on those days.
In total there are five acts to this story, and although the outcome of the final act is probably known by most readers, I doubt very much that any of the preceding acts are common knowledge.
UPDATE: Article was updated on April 25, 2015 to include information from the 2014 Preakness.
As we get nearer to the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown, it’s time to separate fact from opinion when it comes to the running style most suited to winning The Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racetrack. So, we decided to go back eleven years and chart the running style for the first three finishers and how they ran in The Preakness Stakes that year. Before we show the chart, let’s first define the running styles.
Early Speed – A horse that breaks quickly from the gate and establishes themselves either on the lead, or very close to it.
Stalker – A horse that sits behind the early speed horses, and is positioned no further back than mid-pack.
Closer – A horse that is mid-pack or further back early in the race, and did it’s best running in the later stages of the race.
