Pick Pony Weekly Trainer & Jockey Spotlight — Week of May 18, 2026

Trainer Spotlight

Jamie Ness remains the engine of volume and consistency, sending out 67 runners in the last 14 days and landing 13 of them in the winner's circle. With 25 in-the-money (ITM) finishes from those 67 starts, this is the quintessential “grinder” barn: you're getting frequent opportunities to bet into live runners, and when Ness takes money on a well‑spotted horse, the recent form says he's earning it. For players who like to build multi-race tickets around reliable foundations, Ness trainees are exactly that right now.

On the efficiency side, Kelly J. Breen and Brandon L. Kulp are the two barns you can't ignore. Breen has 9 wins and 13 ITM finishes from just 19 starters, a razor‑sharp strike that signals his horses are being placed in very winnable spots. Kulp is nearly as deadly: 9 wins and 14 ITM from only 27 starts, another barn making the most of limited bullets. When you see Breen or Kulp entering a lightly raced type or a horse returning to a preferred class level, the recent numbers strongly suggest they're there to win, not just get a race into one.

Jockey Spotlight

Among riders, P. Lopez is the current headline act: 20 wins from 62 mounts, with 43 ITM finishes over the last two weeks. That kind of volume paired with that many trips to the winner's circle makes Lopez a must‑consider on