Todd Pletcher is a renowned and respected name in today’s thoroughbred racing business. His love for horses started at a very young age as he was a hot-walker for his father (also a trainer) when he was seven years old. After high-school he enrolled in the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program and in 1989 graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science. Following graduation he immediately went to work for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lucas. In 1991 he was promoted to Assistant Trainer and helped develop such horses as; THUNDER GULCH, HARLAN, and SERENAS SONG. In late 1995 he hung out his own trainers shingle, and in February of 1996 he saddled his first winner, a horse named MAJESTIC NUMBER at Gulfstream Park. His big break came in 2004 when he trained three-year-old filly- ASHADO to win the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs the Friday before The Kentucky Derby. Later that year ASHADO went on to win the Breeders Cup Distaff, and Mr. Pletcher was on his way to becoming one of, if not the, best trainer in the game.
He broke a single season earnings record in 2005 with total purse winnings of $20,900,000. He subsequently shattered that record the following year with purse earnings of $27,700,000. COWABUNGA! The fifty year old Pletcher has had over 4,000 career winners, and has won The Eclipse Award as Trainer of The Year seven times. The man obviously has an eye for talent, and the know-how to get the best out the horses in his barn. He is very much in demand by horse owners who want the best trainer for their (expensive) race horses. He won The Kentucky Derby last year with ALWAYS DREAMING, and in 2010 with SUPER SAVER.
Speaking of The Kentucky Derby…and Todd Pletcher, his horses have won Derby Prep races the last three weeks in a row. On March 17th at Oaklawn Park, MAGNUM MOON won The Rebel Stakes. The following Saturday NOBLE INDY wins the Louisiana Derby, and just this past Saturday, a horse called AUDIBLE won the Florida Derby. He knows how to get horses ready for ‘The Run For The Roses”. The horses he trains often don’t offer a lot of betting value, that is due to the fact as the betting public see his name attached to a horse they will bet down its morning line odds because it’s a Pletcher trained horse. There are five more Derby prep races in the next two weeks, so be on the look out for horses from the Pletcher barn.
