Staying sharp in horseracing along with daily teamwork is important whether you are talking about a marriage, an occupation or a horseracing outfit. Bettors should know right now that trainer Joe Sharp is a team player.
Rosie Napravnik, one of the best jockeys ever regardless of sex, retired on Breeders’ Cup weekend a few seasons ago for a very good reason. She and husband Sharp welcomed a child into the world and you can bet your bottom dollar that the youngster will have horseracing in his blood.
Staying sharp in horseracing for the trainer Sharp was simple as he was born into the game. His father Marc was a longtime conditioner at Charles Town in West Virginia and his mom was a former exercise rider. His dad got him into reading condition books before he turned 10-years-old.
A condition book is like the Bible for horsemen. The racing office schedules the races and put them in sequence in a book that is published several different times at any horse meeting.
The book is just what it suggests, the rules and conditions of the races that are run and the contents of this pamphlet is an essential part of the sport.
The thing about a condition book is that there are unique subtleties about what each condition means and which horses in a particular stable would fit the best certain conditions.
At the age of 10, it had to be a bit overwhelming but Sharp mastered it and his attitude toward staying sharp in horseracing has never wavered.
After a struggling career as a rider Sharp followed in his father’s footsteps and started working for Mike Stidham as his assistant trainer. He met Rosie during this stint, they were married in 2009 and then he worked as an assistant for Mike Maker.
Both Stidham and Maker are very good trainers and Sharp learned his lessons well. At this juncture Stidham is winning at a 17% clip this year while Maker has seen 19% of his starters reach the winner’s circle. He is currently winning at 23% at Churchill Downs.
The process of staying sharp in horseracing takes initiative and Sharp soon hung up his own shingle and went to training on his own. He already has attracted some high profile owners.
He has trained for Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Brad Grady and was also sent horses owned by Arthur Hancock, of Sunday Silence fame. Sunday Silence, of course, won the Kentucky Derby in 1989.
Sharp won with his very first starter and of course, Rosie was aboard for the victory. Sharp has won 98 races so far this year. He has sent out 665 starters for a very respectable 15%.
One of his best assets is that he can keep a horse thriving once that horse gets to a peak. He has won with 21% of his last-out winners in the last 5 years. When he takes blinkers off his runners, they win at 18%.
Staying sharp in handicapping means knowing which trainers have a good eye for a purchase. Sharp has won with 24% of his first-off-the-claim runners in the last 5 years with a median payoff of 2-1. When he puts a horse in a maiden claimer after that runner has run with Maiden Special Weight foes, he hits at 20%.
Bettors must really pay attention when a horse trained by Sharp comes into a new circuit. He was won with 7 of his 28 shippers in the last 5 years and 5 ran second.
Sharp knows when to strike while the iron is hot. He doesn’t bring horse back quickly often, but when he does, he excels. He has won with 1 of his 5 runners the last 5 years that have come back to race within a week and 2 others ran in the money.
When Sharp’s horses are bet, it is wise to follow the trend. He has popped with 32% of his favorites the last 5 years and 70% of those have been in the money. As Sharp’s career rolls out, don’t be shocked if his success mirrors that of one of his mentors, Maker.
For handicappers, the key to staying sharp in horseracing right now is to take advantage of this exceptional worker and his runners now, before Sharp becomes a household name.
