ABOUT BENTLEY COMBS

Born and raised in Lexington Kentucky I grew up with horse racing all around me. Although, credit for introducing me to horse racing has to go to my father, with racing forms, trips to Keeneland for simulcasting, and the sales.  As I grew up it became time to pick colleges.  University of Louisville’s Equine Administration seemed a natural fit.  Upon graduating from U of L the prospect of tailgating in the Grove didn’t sound like a totally terrible idea so I went on to get my MBA from the University of Mississippi.  From then on the racetrack was calling.  

My journey in racing began with hourly front side jobs working for Keeneland and Churchill.  While doing these jobs I decided I needed to round out my education and get a job on the backside and started hotwalking for Dallas Stewart.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that I much preferred working with the horses on the backside than the people on the frontside.  I decided I wanted to work my way up from hotwalker to groom to foreman to assistant and ultimately to trainer, and that’s exactly what I did.

Solo career highlights include:

Oaklawn’s Trail’s End record holder with 3 consecutive winning years

Leading trainer at 2023 Oaklawn meet by percentage at 40% (20-8-5-3)

Paulick Report: Small Stable, Big Moves: Trainer Bentley Combs Enjoying Banner Meet At Oaklawn
Daily Racing Form: Combs savors first training win from afar
Thoroughbred Daily News: Letter to the Editor - Bentley Combs (re the claiming system)
Thoroughbred Daily News: Open Letter to the Industry - Bentley Combs (re Lasix)

My philosophy

My philosophy is straightforward: I believe each horse is a unique individual.  What works for one horse may not work for another.  Frankly, as someone that has worked with a variety of horses, ranging from claimers to Breeders Cup winners, each benefited from a unique customized training program.  This coming from someone who claimed a horse for eight thousand dollars that was later stakes placed at Saratoga. 

The purpose and focus of this philosophy is to tailor a program to each horse so that they can give their best effort on the track come race day.  Unfortunately, the industry seems to be shifting toward larger stable models, overlooking the needs of each individual horse. Conceptualizing a training program for individual horses rather than generalizing a program for all the horses shouldn’t be a novel idea, it wasn’t years ago.  I know that this philosophy is the reason for our past and future success, and I know this by the evidence of the horses that have come through our barn.  

SPECIAL Horses

Botswana
Claimed for 30k, Graded Stakes placed (Fair Grounds)

Original Intent
Claimed for 8k, multiple Trail's End Winner, Track Record Holder(Fair Grounds Dirt and Turf), Graded Stakes Placed (Saratoga)

Lucky Move
Claimed for $30k, Listed Stakes Winner

Hellorhighwater
Claimed for 10k, Trail's End Winner

The Importance of Aftercare

Aftercare is a huge part of what I believe to be ethical horse racing and our PP’s are proof.  While I’m not fond of the phrase “social license to operate”, I do think that prioritizing aftercare across the board does nothing but help our industry’s image.  That being said, I take great pride in being able to lay my head on a pillow at night knowing that I’ve done right by my horses and owners.  Every horse that has retired from this barn has gone on to have fulfilling careers afterward be that jumping, trail riding, riding instruction, and broodmares.  We have a gallery as a feather in our cap that we practice what we preach from Botswana trail riding to Happy Go Lucky teaching kids to jump in Wellington.

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