Why do trainers hide horse form?

Question

do they get more $ if the horse wins with a high odd?

Answer 1

Basically to build the odds. Officially they aren´t allowed to hide the form as you put it. Every horse should be trying in every race but that is not the case. It just goes to prove that gambling is a mug´s game.

Answer 2

They won't get paid more money as whatever the horse's odds the trainer always receives the samea ount - 10% of the winnings.

It is illegal in GB (I'm not sure about in the USA) for a trainer to bet on his own horses so they can't amek extra money that way.

The thing that some people misunderstand about training racehorses is that it is impossible to get a horse "race fit" without actually running him in a race.  When racehorses are trained they will only work over a stretch of, at the most, 4 furlongs - that's half a mile.  

Also two year olds have to be treated carefully when making their debut. Some people will complain about a horse being "tenderly ridden", but two year olds do not need to be knocked about.  Yes good two year olds can and do win first time out, but a lot of them take a few attempts to break their maiden.  It is the jockeys job to show the horse what his job is about (remember, the most he will have done at home is work with maybe 2 other horses, but now he is expected to run with 10 others - it can be frightening for them) and to give him a good experience.