Todd Pletcher

Ted Noffey at Saratoga
Saturday Insights: Quality Start To Finish At The Spa

5th-SAR, 100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 7f, 2:13 p.m. Shadwell's now 3-year-old METFARDEH (Into Mischief) makes her debut two years after the operation picked her up as a yearling at Keeneland September for a Book One-topping $2,300,000. Bred by International Equities Holding, the filly is out of GIII Monmouth Oaks winner Delightful Joy who retired to IEH for $700,000 at KEEJAN in 2017. Herself a half to SW/MGISP Quickick (McKinzie), she's produced three winners from three to race led by GII Summertime Oaks winner Window Shopping (American Pharoah). TJCIS PPS 6th-SAR,...

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Darley's Dubawi
Friday's Racing Insights: Daughter Of Dubawi Blue Madame On The Mark At The Spa

4th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:52 p.m. ET. John Stewart's Resolute outfit went to $500,000 during Keeneland September to acquire BLUE MADAME (Dubawi {Ire}). The Chad Brown trainee is the first foal out of English & French Group 1 stakes winner Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Ire}), who is a half-sister to French MSW Casterton (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and is herself out of the full-sister of dual U.S. champion grass horse High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Making the races is Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale grad Scratch...

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Snow Face Princess wins at Saratoga
Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Snow Face Princess Relishes Switch To Turf, Scores For Pletcher

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--As Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suspected, grass was the proper surface for Snow Face Princess (Midshipman). Two months after making her career debut on the dirt at Aqueduct, she secured a victory Wednesday in the sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies. Snow Face Princess and leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:02.27. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the field of nine, the dark bay or brown filly...

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Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Pletcher's Kiddie Corps Snags Another Maiden Special Spa Victory

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Through 14 days of Saratoga's season, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's 2-year-olds are getting the job done. Pletcher picked up his fifth victory in the top-level $100,000 maiden special weight races Sunday when Tapit's Legacy (Tapit) cruised to a five-length victory in the third race under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Pletcher has a 5-2-2 record from 15 starters in the open $100,000 races, a win percentage of 33 with a 60 percent finish in the top three. Last season, Pletcher won four of...

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Fierceness works at Saratoga
Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Fierceness The One For Pletcher In Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-'TDN Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light) or Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI $1 million Whitney Stakes? Will one of them be running or will it be both? Those questions got definitive answers Saturday morning outside Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's barn on the Oklahoma Training Track. When entries are taken for the meet's marquee race for older horses on Sunday, both horses names will be front and center, but it will be Fierceness who carries the flag for Pletcher and the ownership group of Mike Repole's...

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Saratoga Maidens Presented By Keeneland: Spendthrift Homebred Romps In Saratoga Maiden

Ned Toffey, the general manager of Spendthrift Farm, was confident going into Saturday's seventh race at Saratoga. The Spendthrift homebred Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) had been training lights out for Todd Pletcher and the entire team was expecting a big effort. They got something more. "Some of us were discussing what we saw in her back in Ocala when she was being broken and her early breezes there," Toffey said. "She was one that gave some sore backs to the exercise riders down there. She's been really forward and always...

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Tommy Jo wins debut at Saratoga
Tommy Jo a New 'Rising Star' for Into Mischief at Saratoga

Tommy Jo (f, 2, Into Mischief--Mother Mother, by Pioneerof the Nile) became the 53rd 'TDN Rising Star' for her out-of-this-world stallion Into Mischief with a powerful performance on debut at Saratoga Saturday. Off as the 2-1 second choice, the Spendthrift Farm homebred was ridden along in fifth, hit the gas with a flashy, sweeping move on the far turn, opened daylight in the stretch and was hand ridden by John Velazquez to a facile 3 3/4-length victory over Tennesse Belle (Yaupon). Tommy Jo's final time of 1:11.24 for six furlongs...

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Saratoga Maidens, Presented By Keeneland: New 'Rising Star' Time To Dream To Stick To Turf For Now For Pletcher And Repole

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the first race of her career Friday, Time to Dream (Not This Time) showed that she could very well have been given a fitting name. After overcoming trouble under jockey Jose Ortiz, the Repole Stable bay stormed from off the pace in the stretch to win the seventh race, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds by 2 1/4 lengths over pacesetter Maiora (Speightstown). Time to Dream completed the one mile on the inner turf course in 1:36.58 and paid $9.90 to win. Pan Pan...

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Aptly-Named Time to Dream A New 'Rising Star' For Todd Pletcher And Mike Repole At Saratoga

The aptly-named Time to Dream (Not This Time) impressed in her career unveiling Friday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole. Racing as part of a coupled entry with stablemate Flighttown (Practical Joke), the 7-2 shot was drawn nearly widest of the field in this one-mile turf event and despite a clean beginning, was outrun was a host of rivals to her inside. Jose Ortiz guided his filly down to race a path off the hedge just outside of Curly...

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Michael McCarthy with his star 3-year-old Journalism
Michael McCarthy Joins the TDN Writers' Room Podcast, presented by Keeneland

Journalism (Curlin) won again, taking down the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth. But that's what we've come to expect from one of the sport's most consistent horses and the trainer, Michael McCarthy, who has pushed all the right buttons. To talk about Journalism and what's ahead for the 3-year-old, McCarthy joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast, presented by Keeneland. McCarthy was this week's Gainesway Guest of the Week. Journalism is a throwback, an iron horse who doesn't miss any dances. McCarthy noticed early on how tough this horse was....

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Saratoga Maidens, Presented By Keeneland: In Test Of Yaupon Maidens, Emphasis Prevails

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - A quick and eventful start provided Emphasis (Yaupon) with a strategic advantage that helped him win the seventh race Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. As a result, Emphasis--the "other" colt by first-year sire Yaupon in field of eight--led pretty much every step of the way and prevailed by a length in the $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds. Two and half lengths back in third was Stradale (Yaupon), the 4-5 favorite, who was bumped hard by Emphasis as they left the gate in the six-furlong dirt...

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Yaupon Colt Emphasis Wires Salty Maiden at the Spa

7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-19, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.83, ft, 1 length. EMPHASIS (c, 2, Yaupon--Connie and Michael {GISP, $136,860}, by Roman Ruler), who was unveiled as a 5-1 shot here alongside the pricey 'Insighted' first-timer Stradale (Yaupon), broke inward and briefly cutoff his opponent which resulted in the colt gaining the lead up the backstretch. The juvenile continued to make every pole a winning one through the top of the lane. Digging deep inside the final sixteenth, the dark bay felt some mild pressure from the debuting Growth Equity (Nyquist), but...

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