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ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW by Richard Nilsen Rich Nilsen of Brisnet.com recently sat down with top trainer Tom Amoss, who is having one of his best years ever. Amoss is currently winning with 42 percent of his starters at Ellis Park and 35 percent at Arlington Park (70 percent in-the-money). This is hardly out of the norm for one of America's top horseman. We wanted to tap into Amoss' knowledge and gather advice for handicappers looking to tackle any of the major meets when Amoss runs his horses. Q. Let's give the readers a little background. How did you get started in racing? A. I got started at a very young age, 11 or 12 years old. I had a childhood friend whose dad owned horses. And as fate would have it, we eventually became roommates in college, and he went on to train horses. That was Albert Stall. I went to the races with Al and really, really liked it. I started to learn how to read the Racing Form, and I couldn't get enough of it. Back then, we had a newsstand just a few blocks from my house and I would take the streetcar home from grade school in 7th, 8th grade. I would get off at the stop and go buy the Racing Form for that day. I would have the races that had run already. I would put it under my books, go to my room as I was required to go to my room to do my schoolwork. I would handicap the day's races all afternoon. I would come out when the news came on and find out the day's results. I didn't get much homework done and I couldn't say I was much of a student back then, but I sure did learn how to read that Racing Form. Q. Since 1998 you've consistently won 25 percent of your races. This year you are winning at a 30-percent clip from 326 starts. What do you attribute your success to? A. Well, I think we are very good at reading a condition book. That may sound straight forward, but it is so important to place your horses correctly. Not to enter them out of line. Another thing we do is that we claim well. What I mean by that is taking a horse that can run right back in two to four weeks and provide you with a winning result. Q. Most handicappers know that you excel first off the claim. However, you fare even better in the second start off the claim, including 52 percent winners this year. What's your overall approach with newly acquired runners? A. First of all, that statistic surprises me. When it comes to claiming, there are two main ingredients that go into it. The first is analyzing the talent level of the horse you are going to claim. That is totally in my hands, and I do that through a number of tools, which include the Daily Racing Form. Secondly and more important, is the soundness of the animal. If he is not healthy, he is not going to be able to produce for you. Frank Bernis is my assistant and partner since I started training in 1987. It is Frank's responsibility to be in the paddock every day, to look at all the horses running, and evaluate them for soundness of limbs. So, I will find a horse that I like, and I will turn to a previous program from where the horse ran before, and I will look to see how Frank had him physically marked. If I like the talent level of the horse, and Frank has him marked as a physically sound animal, then we go. We do a very good job at picking horses that are rounding into their best form. I think we catch them early in that cycle, and I think it has a lot to do with why we win. Very rarely can I say that it is because we specifically did "this" after the claim. A golden rule for us is that we will not claim any horse that we have not looked at the legs on. If you do not know the physical soundness of a horse before you claim him, that is playing Russian Roulette. Q. If a new acquisition doesn't pan out initially, how long will you typically keep that runner in your barn? A. If I have a horse that I don't think was a good claim, I will eliminate that horse as quickly as I can by running at a level he can win at while also attractive to someone else to claim. The toughest part of claiming is knowing when to cut your losses. There are often times when I run a horse that I know that if the horse doesn't get claimed he will belong to my owner forever. I try to put myself in the owner's shoes and try to cut losses as quickly as possible. It's a much better solution to the problem. The greatest promotional thing I can say about the stable is that we are out to win, period. If anyone comes to us and works with us, they know that if you are with Tom Amoss and he leads one up, it is the best opportunity for the horse to win a race. Q. One of the many trainer categories you excel at is with runners who just broke their maiden, winning 30 percent. I've always felt this is a sign of a top trainer because it is statistically difficult to repeat with maiden winners. Why would you say you've been so successful with this pattern? A. We do a very good job of preparing horses for their first start. We have them mentally calm and cool and ready to go for everything they are going to face. They are also physically fit to compete at the distance they are running. That is a big edge. Usually (at the next level versus winners) they are facing horses that are less experienced. Q. How much emphasis should a handicapper give when Tom Amoss employs a certain rider? A. There could be any number of reasons why I use a rider. The first reason would be that rider's style fits this horse the best. There are other times when I have a guy working hard for me in the morning, and I want to reward them with a good mount in the afternoon. Q. What advice would you give to handicappers regarding track bias and what to look for? A. I would say that track biases certainly exist. To do so after two races is a huge mistake. They definitely exist, but it takes more than two races to claim one exists. Q. In general what should handicappers look for when trying to uncover an improving horse, eligible to run a big race today? A. I look for a few things. Number one, I want a very consistent work pattern from the horse. (Secondly), I want to see who he has run against and how they have fared since they've run against each other. Thirdly, his overall speed figures and how he matches up. Q. Since 1998 you've only brought 26 runners back on 10 days rest or less, but you won with 11 of them (43 percent). What factors into that decision to bring a horse back that quickly? A. Too many things to mention, but I won't do that unless the horse is cycling into peak form. The horse is telling me that they are ready to do it again. Q. How much input do your owners have in the running and placement of the horses? A. Well, when a new owner comes aboard our stable I tell them that there will be a lot of communication back and forth. We will talk about everything that will occur -- how the horse is training, how the horse is preparing in the mornings, and ideas I have for the races. I always back up my ideas for where the horse needs to run with good, solid facts. I do expect the owners to respect what I think is the proper decision if I present the facts to them. Absolutely, the owners participate in the process. Owners will never have a problem getting a hold of me on my cell phone, as any of my owners will tell you. If an owner wishes to run a horse in a different spot than I would like them to have some good, solid reasoning as to why. In the end the owner pays the bills so I will defer to the owner. However, I will stick to my guns, and in the end it seems to usually work out well. Q. Do you own many of your runners? If so, what will factor into your decision to be part owner of a horse? A. I own very few of my horses, and right now I don't own any. I will only do it if a situation comes up that I think is attractive, but I feel I can't readily sell to an owner. For example, the most recent horse I owned was one that was laid up for having a fractured shin. Rather than sell the horse with an injury to one of my clients, I purchased (the horse) for myself. I raced her when she healed up. I always have people looking for horses, so if an opportunity comes up, I always present to my owners first. Q. How's your stable looking for the fall race season? Where will the focus be for the next couple of months leading up to the Fair Grounds? A. The focus will be in Kentucky at Keeneland and Churchill. It is funny because stables have peaks and valleys in terms of the quality of horses. We've lost some of what we consider the stars in our stable. We will be in a rebuilding mode over the next few months, claiming and purchasing horses privately. Hopefully, we can get back to where we were in the beginning of the spring. -- Rich Nilsen recently captured the Dog Days of Summer contest at Canterbury, earning his fourth qualifying trip to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. He recommends that you never overlook a Tom Amoss-trained runner in your handicapping.
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