Todd Pletcher will have the likely favorite in the GI Belmont Stakes in GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade (Into Mischief) and a live longshot in Powershift (Constitution). He knows how to win the race–he's done it four times. Might this be his fifth? Those were among topics Pletcher addressed when he joined the team on this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.
Breaking from the dreaded post one in the Derby, Renegade was slammed at the start and it took him several strides before he was able to get back on track. Did that incident cost hm the race?
“Everything that we feared drawing the one hole that could happen happened,” Pletcher said. “All the all the things that we felt like could potentially go wrong kind of happened in the first sixteenth of a mile. It's very difficult to gauge, like how much that takes out of a horse when you get bumped around as much as he did. We knew it was going to be a fast pace. We knew we wanted to settle back, make a run like we did in the Arkansas Derby. That part of it we got to do. I just can't help but think that with that bump coming in the first sixteenth of a mile, it had to impact his performance somewhat. So to me, he ran a winning race. He just didn't finish first.”
There doesn't figure to be much speed in the Belmont, which could be a problem for both Renegade and Derby winner Golden Tempo (Curlin). Pletcher is hoping his horse can stay closer to the pace this time.
“I think he's tractable enough that if Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] needs him to lay a little bit closer to the pace, he's capable of doing that,” Pletcher said. “That was part of our strategy in Arkansas and at Churchill, to take back, settle and make one run because we felt like that suited his style and the pace scenario of those races was favorable for that. But I think he can be closer if we need to and it's going to be up to Irad to sort that out as the race unfolds.”
Pletcher said the Derby is the one race he wants to win more than any other, but put the Belmont second.
“I've always said that my favorite win was Rags to Riches' win in the 2007 Belmont,” he said. “It was our first Classic. And for her to win, beat a horse like Curlin and become the first filly in 102 years to win the race–that was the most exciting race. But to me, I rank the Belmont second to the Kentucky Derby in races that we want to win. And a big part of that is that we live in Garden City, 10 minutes away from Belmont. We've lived there for the last 25 years and that's where our kids grew up, where they went to went to school and high school. When you go to soccer games and everybody knows that you're running in Belmont, it is kind of our hometown race. So it's always been one of our favorites.”
The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was Cornucopian (Into Mischief), who earned a 103 Beyer figure when winning the GIII Aristides Stakes. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Audible.
Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, the KTOB and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman talked about slew of important races on Belmont Stakes Day and zeroed in on the GIII True North Stakes, The GI Wood Stephens Stakes and the GI Metropolitan Handicap. They also discussed the sale of GI Preakness winner Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) and the information NYRA released about the level of CAW play at its tracks since installed “guardrails” meant to lessen the advantage the computer players have.
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