Racenet has just released their figures on Trainer and Jockey combination. While it is interesting, it can also be misleading. Darren Beadman, for example, has the following success rates. His overall result is about one winner in five but for trainers John Hawkes and Jack Denham his strike rate is about one in three. By far the most rides were provided by Graeme Rogerson but his strike rate there is one in five, the same as his general strike rate.

Some of the most famous trainer jockey combinations were like Tommy Smith and George Moore. Smith dominated Sydney racing and Moore, as his regular rider, dominated the jockeys ranks. Certainly Moore was a great jockey, but so were many of the riders of that era. Who's to say one of them wouldn't have been just as successful if given the same opportunity.

In years past, a jockey without a trainer partnership, was doomed to battle it out with the other hoops in the jockeys room, as riders were often not declared until race day. Now, jockeys are more likely to freelance and provided they have a good manager, they will get their share of the good rides. Darren Beadman is back at the top of the heap but not before a struggle as he took time to break back in after a "retirement". The top rides did not come until he proved to the Racing fraternity that he had indeed come back to his best.

One popular jockey trainer combination was the Shane Dye / Gai Waterhouse combination. A Less known but successful combination these days is the Gai Waterhouse / Mark Newnham partnership which is mostly played out at the provincials. With a strike rate of 28% , it is one of the most successful combinations of the modern era.

The key to a successful trainer jockey relationship can be when the horse has had a couple of runs with "just any jockey" and then the more popular jockey takes the mount. This is more of a pointer to a winner than a mere regular trainer jockey combination.

Of course on some occasions, the one jockey may have an arrangement to take every stable ride provided he can make the weight. In this situation, the trainer jockey combination is no guide at all, and form must take precedence.

In summary, form takes precedence but where a regular jockey now takes over the ride, that is usually a genuine pointer . Don't get carried away with trainer jockey combinations as even when the success rate is high as this usually leads to lower dividends. A better policy is to take a horse where a top rider suddenly switches to a lesser know trainer. The top jockeys aren't interested in taking a ride just for the riding fee.

Good luck with this angle. For full details visit racenet's website.