super trainers

Every summer, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) takes in a small gaggle of college-age interns--what for many of them proves a baptism of the turf. This year's batch--three Yale undergrads studying economics, electrical engineering and political science--were tasked with a data-driven analysis of the economics of the national horse racing biz over the past 20 years. Harboring no previous relationship with the industry, the three undergrads came in free of prejudice and preconceptions. The result is a 33-page paper weaving piercing and worrying insights into the state of...

Chuck Simon, a trainer for two decades in horse racing who previously worked for legends of the game like H. Allen Jerkens and D. Wayne Lukas, has reinvented himself in the sport. After being squeezed out of the training game in part due to the rise of the "super trainer", Simon has become one of the most articulate critics of racing and advocates for the sport's reform, both on Twitter and the hit Going in Circles podcast, which he co-hosts with handicapper Barry Spears. Wednesday, Simon joined Bettor Things with...

Chuck Simon, a trainer for two decades in horse racing who previously worked for legends of the game like H. Allen Jerkens and D. Wayne Lukas, has reinvented himself in racing. After being squeezed out of the training game in part due to the rise of the "super trainer", Simon has become one of the most articulate critics of racing and advocate for the sport's reform, both on Twitter and the Going in Circles podcast, which he co-hosts with handicapper Barry Spears. Wednesday, Simon joined Bettor Things with Joe Bianca...

Over the years, the rise of the so-called super trainer has prompted many a clutched pearl by virtue of a perceived monopoly on the sport. Anecdotally, it can certainly appear as though the same few names wield an outsized impact. But what does the data say? The TDN has crunched the numbers in California from 2007 onward. This is far from a comprehensive overview of the situation, and what emerges is a picture that can be viewed from multiple angles. On the one hand, the numbers suggest that the biggest...