This has been a banner year for trainer Eric Foster.

In his 11th year of training, not counting a brief stint at the turn of the century, Foster has earnings of $2.2 million this year, a career high. He won his first training title at Turfway Park’s winter-spring meet, edging Brad Cox by one win. And he had a filly run in the Kentucky Oaks after a win in the Bourbonette Stakes at Turfway.

As is standard with trainers, he credits anyone but himself.

“Better horses, better purses, a little luck in the entry box, the normal stuff,” Foster told Horse Racing Nation on Monday while on a tractor to harrow the track at his Western Kentucky farm. “I can’t take any credit. Some of my help has been with me a little longer, and we’ve got a good system going. And just kept trying to get in a groove and just making it the normal thing to win.”

He’s known for his success with claiming horses. Everland, the filly who won the Bourbonette, was a $30,000 claim and has won more than $300,000 for Foster.

But there’s more to his game than claimers.

“You have to do a little bit of everything,” he said. “We buy babies, we buy weanlings, we buy yearlings, we buy 2-year-olds, we claim horses. Can’t just settle on one way to try to find that good one when they can come from anywhere.”

He has 25 horses at Turfway, which opens Wednesday, and another 20 or so at his farm, which is a three-hour drive from the Northern Kentucky track. He’s used to the drive, but things improved considerably last year when he was able to stable at Turfway.

“It was 100% ship and run for us,” he said. “So just having the ones we have up there makes it nice not to have to ship everything.”

Foster owns a share of “probably 35” of the horses he trains, “and most of them I own the majority of.” He outlined plans for a dozen of his horses for the latest in HRN’s Barn Tour series, starting with three who are entered at Turfway.

My Own. This 2-year-old Tapwrit colt makes her second start in a maiden special weight Wednesday at Turfway. “I have a lot of high hopes for My Own,” Foster said. “We purchased him, he worked at OBS, and that was part of the reason we went for him is because he looked so good over that surface. And I think you’ll see a whole ’nother horse on that surface. And plus, he had a little procedure done on his throat to where he wasn’t breathing as good, and now it seems to be resolved and doing good. He’s working really good,” with a five-furlong bullet in 58.8 seconds last Wednesday.

Geraldraydaplegray. This 2-year-old Mohaymen gelding is 0-for-3 and will start Thursday in a maiden special weight at Turfway. “He’s going to go long (one mile) for the first time. If you look back, one thing about him is he ran against a horse that won the Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs the first time out. He ran against a horse Chasing Liberty, and that horse came back and won on the Breeders’ Cup undercard. He also ran with some other horses that won at Kentucky Downs and have gone on and done good. He’s really been up against some nice horses there at Ellis Park. He missed a break the last time he ran on the dirt. And it doesn’t show it as much on paper, but he really made up a lot of ground coming down the stretch. So we’re just trying something new on him, stretching him out.”

Molto Vivace. A 6-year-old gelding by Maclean’s Music, he’s entered in an optional-claiming allowance at Turfway on Saturday. “That was a claim last time out at Churchill, and just trying to spot some horses that we have seen run well at Turfway, and that’s how we landed on him. Looked like the last time he ran, he ran a really good race there at Churchill. He just had been off for a while, and we’re hoping that race was a good tightener for this race. I think this is a pretty salty race on paper going in, though, to be honest. Looks like a pretty tough race.”

Joe Shiesty. This 3-year-old Air Force Blue gelding, a $16,000 purchase as a yearling, has a 9: 3-2-1 record this year and career earnings of over $400,000. “He is nominated for a sprint on the 14th. But coming off his turf races this summer, we don’t know how much time we’re going to give him. We’re going to give him a little bit of time to come back to himself. He ran twice in November, so he’ll definitely miss his first month at Turfway.”

Everland. A 3-year-old filly by Arrogate, she’s 0-for-7 since winning the Bourbonette, including a fifth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). She is pointed to the My Charmer Stakes at Turfway on Dec. 14. “I think getting back to that Turfway track, she’s one of those who really likes that track, so we’re hoping that’ll move her back up. She’s had to run against Thorpedo Anna twice, that’s pretty tough.”

Current Climate. A 6-year-old mare by Raison d’Etat, is 9: 2-1-1 this year. “She’s going to be entered to run on the 21st in an allowance race at Turfway. She was a $25,000 claim that I think she’s made over $400,000 since we’ve had her.”

Maxisuperfly. This 3-year-old Optimizer filly won the black-type Cincinnati Trophy Stakes in March but is 0-for-5 since. “Maxi is going to hopefully run in some stakes later on in the meet. The first time back at Turfway, we’re going to go in an allowance, and I think it’s on the 27th.” She was bought as a yearling for $19,000 and has earned about $160,000.

Alwaysintomischief. A 3-year-old colt by Maximus Mischief, he has a record of 8: 3-1-1 this year. “He is going to be entered to run an allowance race on the 21st.” He hasn’t had a published work since his last start Oct. 26, but “he’s training. We haven’t put any speed works in him, and he will have before he runs.”

Pure Panic. A 5-year-old gelding by Summer Front, he has a 10: 1-3-2 record this year and was second last out in a starter allowance at Churchill Downs. “ He’s a warrior. And I’m hoping that the racing secretary at Turfway will put us a starter 16 or 20 up in the near future. There’s not one in the book, so we’re hoping they’ll write one.”

Kitodan. This 5-year-old gelding by Point of Entry is Foster’s only graded-stakes winner, scoring in the 2022 Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) i  and being named the national claiming horse of the year. He’s 0-for-8 this year. “We’re going to watch the races. He’s probably going to be entered for the 14th. There’s a stake, and there’s also another race for him that day. We’re going to watch the entry box on him before we make a decision.”

Les Is Best. This 2-year-old filly by Catholic Boy is winless in two starts but is “probably my most exciting 2-year-old right now,” Foster said. “She did not get in the first time we entered. She is a half to Stephanie’s Kitten, and we’re really excited about her. She ran third last time with a troubled trip at Kentucky Downs, and we’re hoping to run in all the big ones (at Turfway) this year.”

Bilyana. A 2-year-old filly by Caracaro, she won her only start, a maiden optional claiming at Ellis Park in August. “Bilyana had a minor surgery, and she’s been back in training for a month now, and she’s exciting.”