ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW
by Richard Nilsen
Rich Nilsen of Brisnet.com recently sat down with top trainer
Tom Amoss, who is having one of his best years ever. Amoss is
currently winning with 42 percent of his starters at Ellis Park
and 35 percent at Arlington Park (70 percent in-the-money). This
is hardly out of the norm for one of America’s top horseman.
We wanted to tap into Amoss’ knowledge and gather advice for
handicappers looking to tackle any of the major meets when Amoss
runs his horses.
Q. Let’s give the readers a little background. How did
you get started in racing?
A. I got started at a very young age, 11 or 12 years
old. I had a childhood friend whose dad owned horses. And as fate
would have it, we eventually became roommates in college, and he
went on to train horses. That was Albert Stall.
I went to the races with Al and really, really liked it. I
started to learn how to read the Racing Form, and I couldn’t get
enough of it. Back then, we had a newsstand just a few blocks
from my house and I would take the streetcar home from grade
school in 7th, 8th grade. I would get off at the stop and go buy
the Racing Form for that day. I would have the races that had run
already. I would put it under my books, go to my room as I was
required to go to my room to do my schoolwork. I would handicap
the day’s races all afternoon. I would come out when the news
came on and find out the day’s results.
I didn’t get much homework done and I couldn’t say I was much
of a student back then, but I sure did learn how to read that Racing Form.
Q. Since 1998 you’ve consistently won 25 percent of
your races. This year you are winning at a 30-percent clip from
326 starts. What do you attribute your success to?
A. Well, I think we are very good at reading a
condition book. That may sound straight forward, but it is so
important to place your horses correctly. Not to enter them out
of line. Another thing we do is that we claim well. What I mean
by that is taking a horse that can run right back in two to four
weeks and provide you with a winning result.
Q. Most handicappers know that you excel first off the
claim. However, you fare even better in the second start off the
claim, including 52 percent winners this year. What’s your
overall approach with newly acquired runners?
A. First of all, that statistic surprises me. When it
comes to claiming, there are two main ingredients that go into it.
The first is analyzing the talent level of the horse you are
going to claim. That is totally in my hands, and I do that
through a number of tools, which include the Daily Racing Form.
Secondly and more important, is the soundness of the animal.
If he is not healthy, he is not going to be able to produce for
you. Frank Bernis is my assistant and partner since I started
training in 1987. It is Frank’s responsibility to be in the
paddock every day, to look at all the horses running, and
evaluate them for soundness of limbs.
So, I will find a horse that I like, and I will turn to a
previous program from where the horse ran before, and I will look
to see how Frank had him physically marked. If I like the talent
level of the horse, and Frank has him marked as a physically
sound animal, then we go.
We do a very good job at picking horses that are rounding into
their best form. I think we catch them early in that cycle, and I
think it has a lot to do with why we win. Very rarely can I say
that it is because we specifically did “this” after the
claim.
A golden rule for us is that we will not claim any horse that
we have not looked at the legs on. If you do not know the
physical soundness of a horse before you claim him, that is
playing Russian Roulette.
Q. If a new acquisition doesn’t pan out initially, how
long will you typically keep that runner in your barn?
A. If I have a horse that I don’t think was a good
claim, I will eliminate that horse as quickly as I can by running
at a level he can win at while also attractive to someone else to
claim. The toughest part of claiming is knowing when to cut your
losses.
There are often times when I run a horse that I know that if
the horse doesn’t get claimed he will belong to my owner forever.
I try to put myself in the owner’s shoes and try to cut losses as
quickly as possible. It’s a much better solution to the problem.
The greatest promotional thing I can say about the stable is
that we are out to win, period. If anyone comes to us and works
with us, they know that if you are with Tom Amoss and he leads
one up, it is the best opportunity for the horse to win a race.
Q. One of the many trainer categories you excel at is
with runners who just broke their maiden, winning 30 percent.
I’ve always felt this is a sign of a top trainer because it is
statistically difficult to repeat with maiden winners. Why would
you say you’ve been so successful with this pattern?
A. We do a very good job of preparing horses for their
first start. We have them mentally calm and cool and ready to go
for everything they are going to face. They are also physically
fit to compete at the distance they are running. That is a big
edge. Usually (at the next level versus winners) they are facing
horses that are less experienced.
Q. How much emphasis should a handicapper give when Tom
Amoss employs a certain rider?
A. There could be any number of reasons why I use a
rider. The first reason would be that rider’s style fits this
horse the best. There are other times when I have a guy working
hard for me in the morning, and I want to reward them with a good
mount in the afternoon.
Q. What advice would you give to handicappers regarding track bias and what to look for?
A. I would say that track biases certainly exist. To do
so after two races is a huge mistake. They definitely exist, but
it takes more than two races to claim one exists.
Q. In general what should handicappers look for when
trying to uncover an improving horse, eligible to run a big race
today?
A. I look for a few things. Number one, I want a very
consistent work pattern from the horse. (Secondly), I want to see
who he has run against and how they have fared since they’ve run
against each other. Thirdly, his overall speed figures and how he
matches up.
Q. Since 1998 you’ve only brought 26 runners back on 10
days rest or less, but you won with 11 of them (43 percent). What
factors into that decision to bring a horse back that quickly?
A. Too many things to mention, but I won’t do that
unless the horse is cycling into peak form. The horse is telling
me that they are ready to do it again.
Q. How much input do your owners have in the running
and placement of the horses?
A. Well, when a new owner comes aboard our stable I
tell them that there will be a lot of communication back and
forth. We will talk about everything that will occur — how the
horse is training, how the horse is preparing in the mornings,
and ideas I have for the races. I always back up my ideas for
where the horse needs to run with good, solid facts.
I do expect the owners to respect what I think is the proper
decision if I present the facts to them. Absolutely, the owners
participate in the process. Owners will never have a problem
getting a hold of me on my cell phone, as any of my owners will
tell you. If an owner wishes to run a horse in a different spot
than I would like them to have some good, solid reasoning as to
why. In the end the owner pays the bills so I will defer to the
owner. However, I will stick to my guns, and in the end it seems
to usually work out well.
Q. Do you own many of your runners? If so, what will
factor into your decision to be part owner of a horse?
A. I own very few of my horses, and right now I don’t
own any. I will only do it if a situation comes up that I think
is attractive, but I feel I can’t readily sell to an owner.
For example, the most recent horse I owned was one that was
laid up for having a fractured shin. Rather than sell the horse
with an injury to one of my clients, I purchased (the horse) for
myself. I raced her when she healed up.
I always have people looking for horses, so if an opportunity
comes up, I always present to my owners first.
Q. How’s your stable looking for the fall race season?
Where will the focus be for the next couple of months leading up
to the Fair Grounds?
A. The focus will be in Kentucky at Keeneland and
Churchill. It is funny because stables have peaks and valleys in
terms of the quality of horses. We’ve lost some of what we
consider the stars in our stable. We will be in a rebuilding mode
over the next few months, claiming and purchasing horses
privately. Hopefully, we can get back to where we were in the
beginning of the spring.
— Rich Nilsen recently captured the Dog Days of Summer
contest at Canterbury, earning his fourth qualifying trip to the
DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. He
recommends that you never overlook a Tom Amoss-trained runner in
your handicapping.