2011 Leading Thoroughbred Trainers In North America – Who Will Be Number One?

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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With the racing season in the homestretch, we're going to take a quick look at the five top trainers in North America this year based on stable earnings. Statistics are through Nov. 28 and are provided by Equibase.

No. 1. Todd Pletcher (956 starts, 235 wins, $16,502,636, 25% Win Pct.)-- Pletcher has won the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer five of the last seven years, including last year. His stable is on pace to earn the most money in North America for the second time in a row and third time in the last five years. The former protege of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has to be considered the most prolific trainer in North America today.

No. 2. Steve Asmussen (1,537 starts, 318 wins, $15,508,970, 21% Win Pct.)--Asmussen is on track to lead the nation in wins for the fourth consecutive year. As you can deduce from the number of starters, Asmussen's far-flung stable has a presence on several circuits and includes runners ranging from modest claimers to Grade 1 performers. He previously won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 2008 and 2009.

No. 3 Bob Baffert (462 starts, 119 wins, $13,084,894, ...
... 26% Win Pct.)--Baffert has been the dominant force in Southern California racing for the last 15 years. He was a three-time winner of the Eclipse Award in the late 1990's and in the last couple of years has authored a bit of a resurgence on the national level. As evidenced by his earnings to number of winners ratio, Baffert prefers to go big-game hunting and this year he's certainly had his share of success.

No. 4 Bill Mott (543 starts, 93 wins, $10,357,428, 17% Win Pct.)--A monster second-half of the season, highlighted by wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic and Ladies' Classic, helped to propel Mott into the top-five this year. Based in New York, Mott's stable has been in the top five in earnings each of the last five years. Mott was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1998 at the age of 45, making him the second-youngest trainer ever to achieve the honor. He last won the Eclipse Award in 1996, his second, and this year is considered by many to be the favorite.

No. 5. H. Graham Motion (497 starts, 109 wins, $8,501,414, 22% Win Pct)--Motion has been a well-known commodity on the Mid-Atlantic circuit for the last decade or so, but it wasn't until this year that he gained national acclaim. That was due in large measure to Animal Kingdom's impressive win in the Kentucky Derby, Motion's first. His previous best for year-long earnings was $6.65 million in 2008.

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