The Golden Syringe Award

[The Indomitable DrugS]

The Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer is pretty bunk in that it's basically an award given to the trainer with the best stock ... and no more than about four trainers each year have any realistic shot at winning it. Several hundred different trainers would have probably nailed it down this year with Pletcher's stock.

To win the Golden Syringe ... you must simply have the highest win percentage in the nation while winning at least 50 races and maintaining a profitable ROI for the year.

To win at a scary high percentage - you do have to stuff horses in and take no prisoners. Take Joe Woodard for instance. He's winning at 27.25% this year from over 800 starters. However, his ROI is just $1.36 - meaning he's losing 32% on every betting dollar ... double the takeout. He's basically winning at a high clip while bankrupting bettors.

In theory, it should be extremely difficult to have both a sky high win percentage and a profitable ROI in the same year - with volume. This is because horses from sky high win % barns are chronically over bet on paper. Someone like Juan Carlos Guerrero could run a goat with a horrid form and it would still take surprising money.

Without further ado:

2010 Golden Syringe Award Race

1st: Juan Carlos Guerrero (40.72%)
2nd: Brad Cox (31.54%)
3rd: Rudy Rodriguez (29.71%)


Past Champions:

2009

Keith Bennett (32.69%) - <-- Jamie Ness had 32.82% with $1.99 ROI

2008

Wayne Catalano (36.59%) - <-- Mike Maker checked in 2nd - Marty Wolfson $1.98 ROI cost him

2007

Kevin Lewis (32.09%) - Jamie Ness 2nd and Mike Maker 3rd

2006

Todd Beattie (32.60%) - Steph Beattie 2nd at 32.20 with amazing $2.41 ROI

2005

Wayne Catalano (36.18%) - Steph Beattie hit at 30.19 with impossible $2.98 ROI

2004

Keith Bennett (31.50%) - Tim Kreiser 2nd of $6,500 auction buy Peppi Knows fame 2nd.

2003

John Martin (30.74%) - Jeff Mullins just misses with 30.03

2002

Keith Bennett (37.57%) - Wayne Catalano checks in 2nd

2001

Cole Norman (32.62%) - Charlton Baker 2nd

2000

Charlton Baker (33.05%) - Jimmy Jerkens was 3rd that year!

1999

Keith Bennett (31.39%) - Tony Dutrow 2nd. John Shirreffs won at insane 40% that year (and on So. Cal circuit no less) .. but fell short of the required 50 minimum wins