Jorge Navarro wins races in bunches and he basically has been doing it since he took out his racing license. Jorge Navarro is not your normal overnight success. He gained useful knowledge from his stepfather, long-time Florida trainer Julian Canet, who won the 1996 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs back in the day with long shot Mindy Gayle.
His step-grandfather, Osvaldo Canet, won training titles at River Downs and Beulah Park in Ohio in the 1960s. Navarro started as a hot walker and groom for his stepfather, was an assistant for three years to Sam David Jr. at Fair Grounds, then worked as a veterinary assistant for three years. Following another four-year stint as an assistant trainer, Navarro broke young horses in Ocala.
The thing about the way Jorge Navarro win races is that he prides himself in hard work. He is a good leg man and that is the key to keeping the runners healthy. If you don’t have the wheels, you can’t go. Navarro looks for heat or signs of bruises. Heat in horses’ legs is usually a sign that something is wrong, that there might be filling in their joints. You want their legs to feel nice and tight and cold.
Navarro wins races through the experience he gained as a veterinary assistant for Dr. Jonathan Allen. He learned in that work that you could not take short cuts in this sport.
With the winter months over in several weeks, bettors need to look to Monmouth Park, as Navarro wins races at the emporium often.
Bruce Springsteen may be the ‘Boss’ in New Jersey but trainer Jorge Navarro was an ATM machine at Monmouth Park last season. He won his fourth consecutive training title with a record 59 victories.
Before Monmouth started last year, Navarro opened some eyes on the 2016 Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs.
He saddled Catalina Red to a 14-1 surprise win in the $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes and then Navarro was back in the winner’s circle after Sharp Azteca took the $250,000 Pat Day Mile for 3-year-olds at 13-1.
Currently, there are a number of trainers chasing Jorge Navarro at Gulfstream Park. Last year, Navarro won at a 30% clip and he generally sends out well meant runners daily. So far at Gulfstream, Navarro has sent out 89 horses and has greeted 17 of them in the winner’s circle. It could be much better since 19 of his starters had to settle for minor awards. He is tied for second in the standings despite saddling 14 fewer horses than the trainer he is tied with at this point. He is ahead of prominent names like Chad Brown, Bill Mott, Dale Romans and Mark Casse.
Navarro has some consistent ploys that he uses to win races. When Navarro has a runner that is sharp and wins, fans should stick with that horse. In the last 5 years Navarro has won with 31% of his last out winners. The trainer is excellent when he switches surfaces with his runners. He has hit at 30% the last 5 years with racers going from the turf to dirt. When he goes the other way, dirt to turf, he is less successful to the tune of 17%.
When a trainer puts blinkers on horses, he is trying to shake things up. Often times a runner that races the first time with blinkers will show more speed. Navarro has won with 23% of his first-time blinkers runners in the last five years. When he takes the blinkers off, he is even more potent. He hits at 27% in that category.
The sharpest gamblers on the circuit are apt to bet a horse that Jorge Navarro claims. He has hit with 34% of his first off the claim runners in the last five years.
Sometimes trainers just try to strike while the iron is hot and so does Navarro. When he brings a horse back to racing within seven days he has been awesome. In the last five years he has won with 3 of 8 runners in that category and two others ran in the money.
Finally, Navarro has shown extreme patience. He has won with 15 of his 44 runners that have returned after being away for a 180 days or more.
The versatility that Navarro wins races has shown he will be a force in this game for years to come.
