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Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS
Gilchrist isn't exactly a saint.
High Resolve, that undefeated Put It Back filly who won the Calder Stake today and is now 3-for-3.....she was in my stable-mail before she ever made her career debut.
Now, she worked an unblinkered quarter mile in 21 1/5 at OBS April - the outright fastest unblinkered work at a sale that features something like a 1,500 page catalog. High Resolve sells for 135K.
Prior to her eventual career debut, Gilchrist entered her in a 25K maiden claiming race - as part of an uncoupled entry. Was allowed to scratch her - so his other maiden could be favored in a four horse field.
It was pretty obvious he never had any intention of giving HR away for 25K - he just wanted that race to fill for his other horse.
Much like a Todd Beattie - Gilchrist is a guy who could probably be a dominant trainer on an elite circuit - but instead is Moss like in a small pond.
Although - the 40%+ win percentage is a little inflated....after all - Northern California is the home of the five horse field. Over the last 12 months, Russell Baze is winning at a brobdingnagian 32.5% clip from over 1,200 mounts. Beyond the obvious fact that he rides a lot of favorites, don't think riding in races with small fields on a consistant basis doesn't inflate that win percentage further.
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Extremely common. Goes on every day they race. Watch the scratches out of the short fields that go and you will see those horses back in, more often than not, pretty quick.
However, what most people don't know, and it could go either way -- is that very often it's the race often that "hustled" the horse. They know who is going where.
I don't know Gilchrist personally, but I know several people who do. He's respected as a horseman. Small #'s, not a lot of firepower (at least not on a regular basis, until Harry re-invested some more $), and certainly not the pick of the litter. He often throws up some good #'s.
Eric