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Who are the Group I trainers to follow?

Tom Walter - Tuesday August 1

Chris Waller edged out interstate rival Darren Weir with the most Group I wins this season but where do the leading trainers rank in terms of strike rate?

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Le Romain (outside) narrowly defeats Chautauqua in the 2017 Group I Canterbury Stakes at Randwick. Photo: Steve Hart

Waller officially finished the term with nine Group I wins, one more than his Victorian counterpart.

Winx was an obvious contributor to Waller's haul winning six Group I races, as was Black Heart Bart (four Group I races) for Weir, but neither trainer was particularly reliable at the top level – at least from a punting perspective.

Waller's 'safety in numbers' strategy was never more evident in the 2016-17 season as he saddled up 106 Group I runners which rendered his win strike rate to a comparatively low 8.5 percent. His 14 placegetters returned a 13.2 percent strike rate.

Winx's perpetually short odds meant that the overall average starting price of Waller's winners equated to just $2.37.

Weir won his octet of Group I races from 65 runners for a strike rate of 12.3 percent at an average starting price of $6.06. His record with placegetters was 18.5 percent.

No other trainer in the country finished the season with more than five Group I wins, however, some stables proved far more profitable in getting their horses to 'peak' on the big stage.

Newcastle horseman Kris Lees had four wins and eight placegetters from just 22 starters, equating to an 18.2 percent win strike rate and an impressive 36.4 percent place strike rate.

In addition, Lees' horses were generally underestimated in betting markets as the average starting price of his winners was $9.90.

The other trainer who was prolific at Group I level was Ciaron Maher of Caulfield. While his average starting price was relatively low at $3.80, his 19 runners yielded four wins and four placings – a 21.1 percent strike rate for both wins and placings.

Profiles of the main Group I-winning stables for the 2016-17 season is tabulated below (sorted by strike rate):

MAHER

LEES

SNOWDENS

PRICE

WEIR

O'SHEA

HAWKES

WALLER

LINDSAY PARK

R

19

22

24

20

65

42

33

106

87

P

4 (21.1%)

8 (36.4%)

4 (16.7%)

1 (5%)

12 (18.5%)

12 (28.6%)

9 (27.3%)

14 (13.2%)

16 (18.4%)

W

4 (21.1%)

4 (18.2%)

4 (16.7%)

3 (15%)

8 (12.3%)

4 (9.5%)

3 (9.1%)

9 (8.5%)

5 (5.7%)

ASP

$3.80

$9.90

$9.90

$10.00

$6.06

$10.70

$7.30

$2.37

$10.20


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