Charles Town: Latest trainer stats through April 17

Bound to Windsor, here winning the West Virginia Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders Classic. Photo by Coady Photography.

by Chelsea Lowman

Trainer Jeff Runco made noise in our previous Charles Town trainer rankings when he made the leap from fourth place to second. His steady climb has continued since then, catapulting him all the way into the top position with 302.65 points. James Casey, the previous points leader, now sits in second with 283.82 points to his name.

They are followed in the top five by Joan Reynolds in third with 266.23 points, Ollie Figgins III (261.08 points), and Kevin Patterson (243.91 points). Reynolds was the big mover among the top trainers, leaping from eighth overall to third. That was a result of posting three wins from just five starts in the last two weeks, which bolstered not only her win total but also her earnings per start, win percentage, and wagering return on investment.

Our system takes into account wins, win percentage, earnings per start, and wagering return on investment. The trainer leading the colony in each category receives a score of 100 for that category, with other conditioners getting a percentage of that. That would give a trainer leading in all categories a perfect score of 400.

In brief, the rating system rewards those who win often and in the biggest races. We applied the stats to every trainer at Charles Town who’s made at least 25 starts and won at least one race

Runco’s hot streak at Charles Town Races has continued in recent weeks. He’s won eight times in the last two racing weeks, rising from 26 wins to 34. He’s won 26 times since March 1, while no other trainer has won more than 10. He is sitting comfortably ahead his rivals in the wins category with Ronney Brown, who has 24 wins, in second.

Despite having to settle for second in terms of points and fifth in overall victories, Casey remains on top in terms of earnings per start. His earnings per start have slipped from $4,408 to $4,121 since our last report, but are still enough to keep him ahead of his closest rival, Kevin Patterson, whose runners have earned $4,022 per start.

Reynolds leads the colony in terms of win percentage, scoring 28.13 percent of the time. She is just ahead of Patterson, who’s at 28 percent. Rounding out the rest of the top five are Runco (23.29), Figgins (22.73), and Tim Grams (22.22).

William Aylor Jr. has stepped forward with the new highest wagering return on investment. His ROI of $4.28 has placed him safely ahead the previous ROI leader, Kristy Gazzier, who now sits in second with an ROI of $3.76. They are followed by Casey ($3.14), Reynolds ($2.76), and Joanna Boggs ($2.62).

The report covers racing action through April 17, 2018.

CHARLES TOWN TRAINER RANKINGS