Charles Town: Latest trainer stats through June 27

Something Awesome won the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. Photo by Coady Photography.

by Chelsea Lowman

Trainer Jeff Runco was on top of the Charles Town colony in terms of points during our previous check in, and although some time has passed, his spot on top has not wavered. With 227.32 points and 65 wins to his name, Runco has yet to relinquish either of his leading positions.

After saddling 13 winners since our previous article, Javier Contreras jumped all the way from eighth-place to second in terms of points. With 190.57 points, Contreras is now ahead of Jose Corrales (185.50), Joan Reynolds (181.92), and Ronney Brown (180.35), who are third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

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 more than 35 starts and won at least one race.

Corrales’ victory in the Grade 2, $1.2 million Charles Town Classic has led to substantial skewing of the track’s earnings-per-start figures. Corrales, with 38 starts to date and five wins, is earning $19,216 per start – about five times Runco’s next-best total of $3,935. While in the last standings, we made adjustments to minimize the impact of that skewing, in this ranking, we have not done so, as it should gradually sort itself out as the season goes on.

Just like before, Ronney Brown sits in second place in terms of wins. With 41 victories, Brown has been to the winner’s circle 16 times since our check-in back in the beginning of May. Brown is well behind Runco in terms of wins, but he is well clear of the other trainers. Seventeen wins behind Brown comes Contreras, who sits in third with 24 wins. James Casey and John McKee are tied in fourth place, with 23 wins apiece. Interestingly enough, Casey and McKee were also equals in our previous report, when they each had fifteen wins and sat together in fifth.

Finishing out the leaderboard for the win category is Tim Grams, who has made his way into fifth-place with 22.

Thanks to his 13 recent victories, Contreras has taken over when it comes to the highest win percentage. His strike rate of 26.97 percent has him just ahead of Joan Reynolds, who previously led the colony and now is winning 26.79 percent of the time. Runco comes in next at number three, with a win percentage of 23.38 percent. John Carlisle and Casey complete the top five, with win rates of 23.33 percent and 21.30 percent, respectively.

In terms of earnings per start, as mentioned above, Corrales holds a solid lead, with Runco in second. Casey ($3,886), Contreras ($3,816), and Reynolds ($3,172 complete the top five.

Michael Atkins leads the colony in terms of wagering ROI. For every $2 win wager placed on his horses, his backers receive an average payout of $5.86. His four wins to date this year include the 54-1 Vintage Gin, 25-1 Kluvyabye, and 21-1 Riskshighpayislow.

Raimondo Schiano-Dicola slides in behind him, with an ROI of $3.28. Kristy Gazzier, who previously led the colony, now resides in third, with an ROI of $2.74. Casey and Reynolds complete the top five, with an ROI of $2.54 and $2.52, respectively.

The rankings include all races through June 27, 2018.

CHARLES TOWN TRAINER RANKINGS