Trainers to watch (and wager on) at Del Mar

Trainer statistics are commonly employed by bettors handicapping horse races. Isn’t it helpful to know a trainer excels with turf horses and juveniles but is less successful with dirt runners and older horses?

In preparation for the much-anticipated 2019 Del Mar summer meet, which kicks off on Wednesday, July 17, I’ve used Statsmaster to compile a handful of intriguing trainer trends and statistics. With luck these angles will produce profitable plays throughout the meet.

Let's dig in!

• Bob Baffert is extraordinary with his 2-year-olds, as we detailed in our tips for betting juveniles at Del Mar. You can’t argue with a 12-for-19 record in 2018. But Baffert isn’t necessarily unstoppable with older horses. At the 2018 summer meet, he went just 2-for-25 (8%) with his non-juvenile starters.
• Baffert’s juveniles tend to start at short prices, so if you’re looking for longshot 2-year-olds, check out Steven Miyadi. As we noted previously, he’s gone 5-for-19 (26%) with juveniles starting at 8-1 or higher over the last two summer meets.
• When Richard Baltas claims a horse and runs it back at Del Mar, watch out. Over the last two summer meets, Baltas has gone 4-for-6 (66%) with horses he claimed last time out.
• Peter Miller was astonishingly successful with turf sprinters during the 2018 summer meet, compiling a 9-for-15 (60%) record and producing a +249% ROI. It could be tough for Miller to replicate this extraordinary success in 2019, but in any case, give his turf sprinters an extra look this summer.
• You can usually count on Eric Kruljac to spring two or three upsets at Del Mar each summer. He consistently sends out winners at 8-1 or higher, often from limited starters, and has achieved an admirable 10-for-100 (10%) record with longshots since 2015. Betting all his longshot runners would have yielded a profitable ROI every year since 2016.
• After he went winless at Del Mar from 2014 through 2017, Alfredo Marquez came out firing in 2018, when he posted a 4-for-11 (36%) record with a +369% ROI. Three of his four winners turned in losing performances earlier in the Del Mar meet. All four victories came in claiming races, and Marquez was particularly successful in maiden claimers, where he went 3-for-4.
• On turf Tom Proctor always warrants respect. After he won with six of his 13 starters in 2017 (46% wins, +69% ROI), Proctor was productive again in 2018, when he compiled a 3-for-10 (30%) record. Another four of his runners cracked the trifecta in 2018, giving Proctor a 70% in-the-money rate.

Enjoy the racing!