Pletcher Seeks Record GP Title

Courtesy Gulfstream Park

Todd Pletcher is a force wherever he saddles a horse, but Thoroughbred racing’s top trainer is never more dominant than when he campaigns his high-powered stable during the winter months at Gulfstream Park.

The 47-year-old Dallas native has been such a frequent inhabitant of the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle during the Championship Meet that he could claim squatter’s rights and charge rent to rival trainers on those occasions when they get their chance to pose for the track photographer.

Pletcher will be seeking his unprecedented 12th consecutive training title during the upcoming 2014-15 Championship Meet, which gets under way at the historic Hallandale Beach racetrack Saturday.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good horses and a lot of clients that love racing at Gulfstream. We’ve sort of emphasized Gulfstream as our winter headquarters for a number of years,” Pletcher said. “Whatever it is about our style of training and Gulfstream’s style of racing, everything fits our style really well.”

Last season, the former D. Wayne Lukas assistant trainer saddled the winners of 68 winners and $3.8 million in purses, both meet-leading totals. He sent out the winners of 11 stakes and $2 million in stakes purses during the Championship Meet. Among those stakes winners were Constitution (Tapit), who captured the $1 million GI Besilu Stables Florida Derby, and Palace Malice (Curlin), the winner of the GII Gulfstream Park H.

“It’s a time of a year when you get a lot of young 3-year-olds that are running. We’ll have hopefully some good 3-year-olds and late-developing 2-year-olds,” said the reigning Eclipse Award trainer. “The meet itself fits our style and our stable really well.”

Although Pletcher’s 11 straight training titles are unprecedented, he still needs one more to share the record for overall championships by a trainer at Gulfstream. Should Pletcher succeed in snaring his 12th straight training title during this year’s Championship Meet, he’d equal Arnold Winick’s overall Gulfstream record. Winick captured 12 training titles between 1959 and 1973.

“Like always, we’re optimistic. We’re hopeful that we have some 2-year-olds turning three that are going to be on the Triple Crown trail. We’re excited about some of the maidens that we have, some un-started horses and some late-developing 2-year-olds,” Pletcher said.

“I wouldn’t say we’re under any pressure to win another meet, but any time you’ve got a streak going, you’re conscious of it and you’d like to keep it going. But it’s one of those things that if it happens, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll just try it again,” he added. “But when you have a streak going, you like to keep it going.”

Pletcher would like nothing better than to cap off a 12th consecutive training title at Gulfstream with a second straight victory in the Florida Derby Mar. 28. Among his top 2015 3-year-old prospects is Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway), who finished a courageous second behind Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 1.

“We loved the way he finished up. He accomplished a lot in a short period of time. He broke his maiden on Aug. 31 and was second in the Breeders’ Cup in his third start. I was very pleased with him,” Pletcher said. “We feel like he’s a horse that will improve at three and we feel like his pedigree suggests he’ll go farther. He’s one we’re excited about.”