Trainer profile: Tim Glyshaw

Tim Glyshaw was once a schoolteacher and a coach of young middle-school athletes. Now his pupils have four legs, instead of two.

Glyshaw, a 40-year-old native of Evansville, Ind., gave up his career in teaching and coaching in the 1990s to follow his passion, horse racing, and since 2004 he has been a Thoroughbred horse trainer. Despite operating a small stable filled mostly with horses of modest talent, he has won at a percentage that most trainers would envy.

Since the start of 2008, Glyshaw has won with 21 percent of his starters, while proving a rewarding trainer to back at the mutuel windows.

A $2 wager on each of his 106 starters last year would have yielded a return of investment of $2.01. This year his ROI is an eye-popping $3.71.

Handling 14 horses at Churchill Downs Trackside in Louisville, Ky., Glyshaw said his focus is on giving each horse individual attention.

"I try to help them in little ways that make a difference," he said.

It shows in horses that join his barn. According to DRF's Formulator, Glyshaw has a record of 3 wins, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds from 15 first-after-claim starters over the past five years ($2.61 ROI). And his second-after-claim runners have been similarly productive. From 12 starts, they have 2 wins, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds ($5.48 ROI).

Glyshaw, a former assistant to trainers Bob Holthus and Cole Norman, said he feels he does well with claims because he doesn't cut corners in their training.

"I claim a lot off of small trainers that probably don't train 'em every day," he said. "But I came up with Holthus, and his belief was to train, train, train."

He further gained knowledge from Norman with regard to claiming and how to handle a lower-level horse.

Although 2008 was the best year of Glyshaw's career, with 22 winners from 106 starts and stable earnings of more than $468,000, 2009 could turn out to be an even better year.

He comes off a successful Fair Grounds meet in which he compiled a record of 6 wins, 9 seconds, and 3 thirds from 37 starters. Furthermore, he has two quality starter allowance runners in his barn: Ready's Rocket and Grand Traverse.

Ready's Rocket, who won a starter allowance at Keeneland on April 5, is eligible for starter $5,000 races for the remainder of the year. Grand Traverse, a multiple-stakes-placed gelding, is eligible for starter $10,000 races throughout 2009.

He is hopeful that a strong spring meet at Churchill could enable both to make it to the Claiming Crown over the summer.