Mike Maker? He's an 18% trainer over the last 5 years. His stats in almost every category are the same - 18% with a $1.75 or so ROI. He's brutal off the claim - 15%, $1.02 ROI on dirt over last 5 years and not much better on turf (17%, $1.74 ROI).
He won a G3 with Do Share in March of last year, ran him into the ground, and he improved 13 points off the claim by Norm Casse, and has stayed at that level. Maker's barn woefully underachieves on dirt. At the marquee meets where he has a big string (all NYRA, GP, Kee, CD) he is 17% with a $1.27 ROI on dirt over the last five years and 17% with a $1.72 ROI on turf.
If Maker is juicing, it's the worst juice known to mankind.
A horse like Bemma's Boy is a perfect fit for his barn. He was 1-1 on turf prior to being claimed and his first trainer inexplicably kept him on dirt despite his lone turf start having clearly been his best race. He's clearly improved for Maker, but what's to say a horse capable of running a 79 Beyer as a late-season 3YO for a dirt trainer didn't have potential. The turf marathon division is also a s.hit show every year, so a newcomer improving enough to make noise is hardly surprising. Zulu Alpha was a graded stake caliber horse for Neil Howard. With all due respect to Neil Howard, it's downright shocking he improved coming from that barn.
You want to talk juicers? Comb through Saffie Joseph's stats. Ironically, he claimed a horse off Maker in September, left him off for 4 months and he improved 52 Beyer points! He duplicated that effort and was entered in the Florida Derby but scratched.
Some of those other South Florida guys who've come on the scene in the last few years or so have insane numbers.
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