In the dynamic world of Australian horse racing, trainers play a pivotal role, especially when preparing first-up horses – those returning from a significant break or competing for the first time. Their success rates provide critical insights into effective training strategies and enhance our understanding of the industry.

The primary aim of our research is to identify the top-performing trainers with first-up horses in each Australian state when ranked between 1 and 4 on our Statfreaks Rating in their respective races. This detailed analysis examines trainers’ performance across various stable sizes, from large, well-established ones to smaller, rising stables. Our objective is not only to highlight the top performers but also to uncover the unique regional dynamics that contribute to their success, thus providing a comprehensive view of the Australian horse racing landscape.

To conduct this comprehensive investigation, we utilize the Racing Analytics Expert Form Database. This robust and detailed database provides us with the necessary data to undertake an in-depth, quantitative evaluation of factors impacting trainer success – from professional experience and training methodologies to race conditions, horse breeds, and regional influences. If you are interested in learning more about the Expert Form Database can access detailed information by clicking this link.

Furthermore, this study incorporates our proprietary StatFreaks AI ratings. By cross-referencing these ratings with our findings, we aim to enhance our insights and fine-tune our understanding of successful first-up horse training.

The anticipated beneficiaries of our findings are various industry stakeholders, including punters, horse owners, racing managers, and trainers. Through promoting informed decision-making, this data-oriented research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the Australian horse racing landscape and the formulation of optimized training strategies for first-up horses.

First Up-Trainers – Result Sorted by Win Strike Rate

Here, we present a list of first-up horse trainers, ranked from highest to lowest based on their win strike rate. The ranking includes trainers with at least 20 first-up horses that were evaluated with the top 4 of a race using our StatFreaks ratings from the period of 2022 up until June 26th, 2023.

Filters Used

Below are the filters we used in the query analysis to produce the result. Please take note that the filter for “RK” is set between 1 and 4, which ensures the data is only filtered on runners where their statfreaks rating pre-race was in the Top 4 runners (Gold Stars). We also exclude the first campaign for any horse, to exclude their first-ever start.

First Up-Trainers – Result Sorted by Win Strike Rate

We have isolated Trainers that have had between 30 and 60 runners between the period of 2022 up until June 26th, 2023, and placed them into a smaller separate query analysis. What the data highlights to us immediately, is that NSW and QLD are making up a lot of the top-ranking trainers for first-up runners when ranked within the top 1 to 4 on our Statfreaks ratings.

Filters Used

Below are the filters we used in the query analysis to produce the result. Please take note that the filter for “RK” is set between 1 and 4 and the filter for the number of horses (count) is between 30 and 60, which ensures the data is only filtered on runners where their statfreaks rating pre-race was in the Top 4 runners (Gold Stars). We also exclude the first campaign for any horse, to exclude their first-ever start.

Access a list of all First-up runners running today onwards ranked top 4 on our Statfreaks ratings