For a major track in North America, Oaklawn is somewhat unique in that it does not have a turf course; all races are run on the one-mile dirt oval. Oaklawn’s winter meet features 10 graded stakes in 2015, and it draws many of the top trainers in the Midwest and beyond, with some of the biggest trainers sending runners to Oaklawn in advance of one of the biggest Kentucky Derby preps, the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby. DRF Formulator gives you access to all of a trainer’s runners over the past five years, allowing you to analyze patterns and unearth angles that have paid very well. Let’s use Formulator to take a look at a few trainers who have focused on the Oaklawn meet in the past five years and see which trends have emerged. Which are the best betting opportunities, and which are best to avoid? Below are a few of our favorites, and at the bottom of this article, you’ll find a code to try Formulator to find your own betting opportunities. D. Wayne Lukas This Hall of Fame trainer calls Oaklawn his winter home, and he’s averaged more than 100 starters there over the past five years. In that time, he’s won with about 15 percent of those runners (79 for 536), to the tune of a mediocre $1.53 return on investment. When his horses get bet down to favoritism at Oaklawn, they are live: His win rate jumps to 35 percent (28 for 79), and the ROI jumps to $1.92. But what are some other Lukas angles to look for at Oaklawn? Bet This: Lukas in maiden special weight routes. Lukas runners at Oaklawn tend to get bet heavily when they are well meant. Over the past five years, though, maiden special weight routes have been an area where Lukas has increased his win percentage further, including some big prices, going 79-16-7-11 with a $2.87 ROI. In addition to two winners over 20-1, six of the 18 who finished second or third went off at odds over 20-1. Not That: Lukas in maiden special weight sprints. Lukas’s success in maiden special weight routes does not carry over to sprints. In fact, he’s been rather dismal over the past five years, compiling a 67-4-7-6 record and $0.44 ROI in those races. And unlike the route angle, there were no prices to be found, as all four winners were under 5-1, and 41 of the 67 runners were 10-1 or less. Federico Villafranco Certainly a lower-profile trainer than the Hall-of-Famer mentioned above, Villafranco had a particularly strong Oaklawn meet in 2014. He went 82-25-18-8, which equates to a remarkable 30 percent win rate, 62 percent in the money, and, even better, a $3.08 ROI with all runners at the meet. His runners at Oaklawn have been live at a square price, perhaps due to that lower profile, a trend that we can only hope continues in 2015. Bet This: Villafranco in sprints in the first start following a claim. Villafranco is a fantastic claiming trainer, winning 28 percent of the time in the first start after the claim over the past five years. He’s had runners at Oaklawn for the past two meets, and he’s excelled first off the claim in sprints, going 25-7-4-1 with a $4.15 ROI in those starts. However, if the horse is a maiden, you might want to skip. See below. Not That: Villafranco with maidens. Villafranco has struggled with maidens at Oaklawn over the past two years, going 22-2-4-2 with a $0.73 ROI. Even worse, with maidens in the first start after a claim, he’s 6-0-1-0. The sample is tiny, so we wouldn’t toss one who looked live at a price, but the numbers do seem to show that you should proceed with caution with his maidens at a short price. Chris Richard Richard is another trainer with a relatively small barn, but he is remarkably consistent. In every year since 2008, Richard has started between 300 and 400 runners and has notched a win rate of at least 20 percent. Over the past five years at all tracks, Richard is 459 for 1,783, which equates to a 26 percent win rate and a $1.65 ROI. In that time at Oaklawn, the win rate dips slightly (82 for 264, 23 percent), but the ROI increases to $1.81. Bet This: Richard in sprints with last-out winners. Richard is especially successful in sprints at Oaklawn with horses coming off a win, winning 35 percent and hitting the board in more than two-thirds of those starts over the past five years. That equates to a 55-19-10-9 record and a $2.26 ROI, dragged down because none of those winners were 5-1 or higher. Those types seem to get bet heavily, so keying these runners in the exotics may be a better way to create value than straight win bets. Not That: Richard going sprint-to-route. When Richard stretches out from sprint to route at Oaklawn, he’s been much less successful. Over the past five years, he’s 31-3-3-1 with a $1.02 ROI going sprint-to-route, and unlike the above stat, he’s 5-0-0-0 doing that at Oaklawn with last-out winners. Steve Asmussen The most prolific trainer in North America, Asmussen has averaged almost 1,500 starters at all tracks in the past few years, down from his career peak of 3,002 runners in 2008. Even with all of those runners, Asmussen maintains a high win rate, going 1,728 for 8,340 (21 percent) at all tracks over the past five years. In 2014, Asmussen was the leading trainer at Oaklawn in terms of wins (35), starts (157), and earnings (more than $1.8 million), and over the past five years at the track, he’s won 23 percent of the time (175 for 777) for a $1.71 ROI. Not That: Asmussen debuting. In general, Asmussen first-time starters perform below his baseline with all runners, as he has won 13 percent of his debuts over the past five years at all tracks (93 for 712). It’s worth noting that only one of those winners has come at Oaklawn, as he’s gone 30-1-7-6 with a $0.34 ROI in that time. Bet This: Asmussen in maiden special weights after their debut. Once they get past that debut, Asmussen excels, especially if he keeps them in maiden special weights. While he’s won at a 26 percent rate in maiden claimers at Oaklawn over the past five years with horses following a debut, those horses have taken a lot of money, so his ROI is only $1.51. In maiden special weight races at Oaklawn following a debut, though, he’s 81-22-14-11 with a $2.59 ROI, and over the past two meets, it’s even better: 38-12-6-4 with a $2.87 ROI. Cody Autrey Autrey runs a small barn, but he clearly targets the Oaklawn meet, considering that 56 percent of his runners in 2014 (112 of 200) ran at Oaklawn. Over the past five years, his overall stats are 192 for 1,033 (19 percent) with a $1.25 ROI, and he’s 46 for 257 (18 percent) with a $1.39 ROI at Oaklawn over that time. Bet This: Autrey with first-time starters. Autrey is extremely strong with debuting runners in general, winning more than 30 percent of those starts over the past five years at all tracks and boasting a gaudy $3.34 ROI. At Oaklawn, though, his numbers are off the charts with horses making their debuts: 14-8-1-1 with a $5.25 ROI. Not That: Autrey in the first start following a claim. Over the past five years, Autrey has had 176 runners make their first start for him following a claim, and those runners have won only 14 percent of the time and returned a measly $0.82 ROI. At Oaklawn, those numbers are even lower, equating to a 10 percent win rate (60-6-10-8), and the ROI drops to $0.68. Even worse, if those horses are not in for a tag, he’s winless at Oaklawn: 21-0-4-2. These are just a few examples of great bets to target as well as ones to avoid. Every day, at every track, you will find many examples of these kinds of great (or awful) opportunities. DRF Formulator gives you the keys to find these angles, and it could very well lead you to a winner who is overlooked by much of the betting public. Check out the different Formulator plans available, priced for every budget. Better yet, try it for yourself; get two Formulator cards for a penny by using code BETTHIS at checkout.