Pletcher on 6,000th win: 'Hoping it would happen here'

After a couple of days of being stuck on win number 5,999, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had to wait until the Saturday nightcap at Saratoga for his long-anticipated 6,000th victory. 

But perhaps it was appropriate that Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Robert V. LaPenta’s Versailles Road was the one to furnish the milestone in the Whitney Day twilight. By powering clear for Manny Franco in the 14th race, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf allowance, the 3.82-1 chance was also highlighting Pletcher’s influence on the breed.

Versailles Road is the son and grandson of Pletcher stars who became successful sires. By Quality Road, he is out of a mare by the internationally renowned Scat Daddy.

“I was hoping it would happen here,” Pletcher told NYRA publicity. “Like I jokingly said - in 2026 - a couple of months ago. It's always special to win here.”

Pletcher nearly reached the 6,000-win threshold earlier in Saturday’s eighth race, when Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables’ Bold Leadership accosted favored Oscar in a turf maiden for juveniles. But Oscar, a Miguel Clement trainee, found just enough to prevail by a nose.

“Maybe it might not be our day,” Pletcher laughed when asked how he felt in the wake of the photo-finish loss. “We felt like we had some live chances with a lot of babies and a very tough Whitney (G1),” where his Antiquarian was a hard-trying third to champions Sovereignty and Nitrogen.

“I was hoping we could get one. It took all day to do it, but thankfully, it happened.”

Pletcher has a racing pedigree himself, as his father, Jake, trained Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. He was a precocious student of the game who started at the age of seven, learning the ropes as a hot walker in his father’s barn.

While Pletcher’s curriculum vitae includes a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program, and stints with Henry Moreno and Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, he is best known as a protégé of D. Wayne Lukas. Pletcher, who ventured out on his own in late 1995, would ultimately join his mentor in the Hall of Fame in 2021.

A two-time Kentucky Derby (G1) winner with Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (G1), Pletcher has racked up four Belmont (G1) victories. His first classic laurel was also the most historic, when champion filly Rags to Riches outdueled Curlin in the 2007 Belmont. A colt from Curlin’s first crop, Palace Malice (2013), would capture the “Test of the Champion,” followed by Tapwrit (2017) and Mo Donegal (2022), who topped a Pletcher exacta in the Belmont with champion filly Nest.

Pletcher has won a grand total of 16 Breeders’ Cup races, beginning with a double in 2004 at Lone Star Park in his home state of Texas. Hall of Famer Ashado took the Distaff (G1), and Speightstown landed the Sprint (G1) on the way to his stellar stud career. Also in 2004, Pletcher earned the first of his eight Eclipse Awards in the outstanding trainer category.

Five of Pletcher’s Breeders’ Cup trophies came in the Juvenile (G1), spanning champion and influential sire Uncle Mo (2010) to last year’s champion, Ted Noffey. 

Other prominent sires who won Breeders’ Cup races for Pletcher include English Channel, hero of the 2007 Turf (G1); Dirt Mile (G1) stars Liam’s Map (2015) and Life Is Good (2021); and 2019 Classic (G1) victor Vino Rosso. Two of his Juvenile champions in recent years, Forte (2022) and Fierceness (2023), will try to add their names to the list. 

Pletcher tops Equibase’s all-time list of trainers by career earnings, with his runners amassing more than $526.2 million. Ranked by wins, he is seventh on the list, led by fellow Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen’s tally of 11,297. 

At the age of 59, Pletcher can be expected to pad his stats in the coming years. But he turned philosophical as he reflected on the achievement. 

“It's a hard business to reflect in much, but it's weird how when you get to these milestones that you start thinking about the individual ones and the single ones – they add up. 

“I was reading something about Robby (Albarado),” the retired jockey who passed away unexpectedly Aug. 4 at the age of 52.

“Maybe it was in one of his obituaries the other day. He was talking about how he was feeling when he got close to 5,000 and maybe got into a little bit of a slump, and he started thinking about how important each win is – in what might seem just a normal race, each win is so important to so many people. I knew what he was talking about when I was reading that.”