Professional Gambler: The Significance of Horse Ownership

If you are trying to find an angle when it comes to betting horses, you can go a long way to finding winners by simply understanding horse owners. Horse ownership ranges from the smallest, cheapest, syndicates to high-profile outfits. If there is one thing I would say about horse ownership it is to assess their set up. By that I mean the quality of horse can vary from one extreme to the other. From being very poor quality (the owners race whatever they have) or those who are very selective in the sense that they aren't interested in a horse getting to the course unless they are convinced it is a winner waiting to happen. Obviously, there are no guarantees. You get the classic morning glory who looks like a potential group horse but fails to shine on course. But I wouldn't worry about the odd disappointment. Horse racing is a mix of hope and disappointment with the odd lightning bolt of stardom. The trials and tribulations of horse ownership makes for an interesting read. 

I always remember back in the day Ian Matthews who used to have horse with trainer R.J Williams (yes, it is going back a lot of years) but I could guarantee every two-year-old they had in training would most likely win on its first or second start. And being with a less fashionable trainer (and relatively unknown owner) they would often go in at a price. They were like clock work. But this tells an important story. Most success is actually based on planning and intention. If someone doesn't pay attention the chances are they won't have a steady stream of winners. That is as true for owners, trainer and punters. 

Clearly, it makes sense to latch onto these quality owners who don't do things by half. They have horses in training and to a decent extent know they will be tasting victory. Who would you rather bet someone who have one winner in one hundred or an outfit that have winners galore?

It is fair to say that a lot of these significant owners have plenty of cash to spend or they have invested heavily into their operations. 

This year's most success two-year-olds owners have been seen as real power houses. The likes of Valmont, Wathnan Racing & staples such as A E Oppenheimer. They feature stats which few compare. I know what you are saying: 'These owners have an average purchase of £300,000+.' 

But the whole point about ownership is digging a little deeper to unearth owners who feature such high standards but few notice. In many ways, punters would be better off following a handful of owners rather than following a similar profile of trainers. Owners often have their purchases across a number of trainers. 

If you notice a given owner hardly ever has a bad horse then you should take note. You just never know how they work and their intentions. Few owners say how their operations work. It is their business and they aren't training their horses for you. But you can learn how they work and keep note of your findings. 

The fortunes of many horse trainers are dependent on the quality of horse via ownership. Trainers are important but without the firepower of quality horses they are at the mercy of the owner's opinion. You only have to follow the highs and lows of trainers who are patronised by Amo Racing to understand how it matters. 

If you look at individual horse owner stats you will see what I am talking about. It is often the case for a horse owner to have a 50% place rate with all runners. Very few trainers will come close to that. And to be fair, that is nothing to the select list of owners who I follow with interest. They aren't all the big names with big money. Some people are very good at what they do and they get the most out of every purchase. They set a level which details a horse won't set hoof on horse unless they think it is a winner. 

That's the kind of standard and quality we are looking for. 

I would suggest you follow your favourite owner rather than favourite trainer. 

It may prove to be a winning move. 

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