Best Horse Racing Trainers of All Time

Ask horse racing fans to name the best trainer of all time and you’ll likely hear a wide variety of opinions.

There’s a lot of nuance involved. You won’t find Carl Hanford near the top of the rankings by career wins or earnings, but the magnificent work he did guiding Kelso to five straight Horse of the Year titles landed Hanford a spot in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.

The history of horse racing is filled with trainers like Hanford. Racing fans can endlessly debate the relative merits of their great and even legendary achievements, but top trainers can also be rated by numerical means.

The following trainers rank as the most successful in U.S. and Canadian racing history in five high-profile categories:

(All statistics as of mid-July 2024.)

Top trainer by earnings: Todd Pletcher

Todd Pletcher has enjoyed resounding success since starting his career in 1996. He’s saddled more than 25,000 starters in the U.S. and Canada, and they’ve combined to win a record $487 million in purse money. That’s $40 million more than runner-up Steve Asmussen. There’s a chance Pletcher will cross the half-billion mark before the end of 2024.

Top trainer by wins: Steve Asmussen

No trainer has won more races in the U.S. and Canada than Asmussen. The 58-year-old has eclipsed the 10,500 mark, more than a thousand wins clear of runner-up Dale Baird (9,445), and the 11,000 milestone could arrive by the end of 2025. Asmussen has won at least 200 races every year since 2000.

Top trainer by Triple Crown race wins: Bob Baffert

The Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1), and Belmont (G1) constitute the three legs of the coveted Triple Crown. No trainer has won more spring classics than Bob Baffert, who has swept the Triple Crown twice with American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). 

Baffert has won the Derby six times, the Preakness eight times, and the Belmont three times, giving him 17 wins in total. His closest rival for the title of winningest Triple Crown trainer is D. Wayne Lukas with 15 wins.

Top trainer by Breeders’ Cup wins: D. Wayne Lukas

D. Wayne Lukas dominated the early years of the Breeders’ Cup, racking up wins even when there were far fewer Breeders’ Cup races than today. Since 1985, Lukas has won 20 Breeders’ Cup races, two more than runners-up Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, and Aidan O’Brien (18 wins apiece).

Top trainer by Grade 1 wins: Bob Baffert

Since the grading of races began in 1973, no trainer has won more Grade 1 races in the U.S. and Canada than Bob Baffert. He passed the 250 mark in 2024 and has pulled clear of runner-up D. Wayne Lukas (currently with 221 Grade 1 wins), who held the title for many years.