Todd Pletcher

When Gary Gullo retired from training in September of 2020 after 40 years on the Belmont backside, it was with big goals in mind. Gullo teamed up with longtime owner Anthony Melfi to start GMP Stable, an operation focused on breeding, selling, racing and now an equine rehabilitation farm. Gullo and Melfi's main goal has always been to acquire and breed top- quality horses and the first member of their new-and-improved breeding program will be offered at the prestigious Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale next week. "It's our first time upgrading our...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - At this time last year, trainer Todd Pletcher and his staff were getting to know Life Is Good (Into Mischief). Some 400 days after he arrived and with four wins from six races, the bay colt is an unquestioned standout in Pletcher's powerful and deep stable. Up next for Life Is Good in a season that could yield an Eclipse Award and possibly even a Horse of the Year title is the $1-million GI Whitney S. Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. The historic Whitney, first run...

StarLadies Racing, LNJ Foxwoods and Gainesway Stable's Prank (Into Mischef--Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit), a $500,000 half-sister to stablemate and recent GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), GISW, $1,511,800, flashed serious speed and ability Sunday to justify 1-2 backing and be named an obvious 'TDN Rising Star'. Emerging from the pack to seize early command, the Todd Pletcher pupil doled out a swift opening split of :21.91 before leaving High Class (Into Mischief) in the dust through a :45.11 half. From there it was only a question of how far,...

by Christie DeBernardis & Patrycja Szpyra Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:49 p.m. EDT GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) may be missing his appearance at the Spa this summer, but his little sister PRANK (Into Mischief) will be stepping up to the post for the first time Sunday. Out of a daughter of GISW Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), the $500,000 KEESEP buy also hails from the Todd Pletcher barn. Steve Asmussen unveils Courtlandt Farm's High Class (Into Mischief), purchased for...

Champion Corniche (Quality Road) makes his highly anticipated return to the races and first start for trainer Todd Pletcher Sunday in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. The 'TDN Rising Star' spent some time at WinStar after his championships season and, with Bob Baffert serving his suspension, was sent to Pletcher in May with an eye on the late season sophomore highlights. (Click here for Pletcher's thoughts in Mike Kane's Saturday feature). "We're hoping that with the good fortune we had with his sire Quality Road and him making his debut for...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - Nearly nine months after his last race, champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road) will return to competition Sunday, starting the late-developing next chapter in his thus-far unbeaten career with a big test in the GII Amsterdam S. Corniche will again be carrying the white and red colors of his owner, Speedway Stables, the partnership of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner. Beyond that, pretty much everything else has changed since his 1 3/4-length victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5 at Del Mar....

In Tuesday's TDN, we ran part I of Diana Pikulski's interview with Robert (Bob) Duncan (click here to read). This two-part piece is the first in a series called Equine Ethics, which examines ways in which racing can exist in the most ethical way possible. RD: My next ah-ha moment occurred with horse trainer Pat Parelli. After my visit with Monty, I started exploring the internet for more horse related info. The name that kept popping up was Pat Parelli of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. I was then lucky enough to...

Editor's note: This column is the first in our new series about the strides horse racing is making to advance the ethical treatment of racehorses. On many levels, those in horse racing and breeding are working to ensure the sport is humane and ethical. New studies and standards about track surfaces, stress, medications, diagnostics and more, shed light on how to ensure the safety and comfort of racehorses. Enforcement of anti-doping regulations has reached a new level with better use of surveillance, hotlines and other anti-crime tactics. And in the...

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Todd Pletcher were represented by Saturday's romping GI Coaching Club American Oaks winner Nest (Curlin), and wasted little time unveiling their next generation of potential stakes runners as juvenile filly Kaling (Practical Joke) turned in a promising and professional debut worthy of a 'TDN Rising Star' nod. Off at 3-1 with an upbeat tab on display, the $220,000 KEESEP yearling showed good cruising speed early to make the early lead down on the inside. Rarify (Justify), the $750,000 half-sister to champion sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver), split...

For Nest (Curlin), the easy route to the Breeders' Cup includes a stop in the GI Alabama Aug 20. It's a prestigious race, has a $600,000 purse and Nest would be an odds-on favorite against many of the same horses she thrashed Saturday in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. But what fun is that? Owners Mike Repole, Michael House and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher have already shown that they will think outside the box. They ran their filly in the GI Belmont S., where she finished...

Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House's Nest (Curlin) found herself somewhat surprisingly on the lead early in Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks, but still left little doubt as to who the top sophomore filly in the country is right now as she galloped home 12 1/4 lengths clear of main rival Secret Oath (Arrogate) in the Saratoga stretch. Having seen a three-race win streak snapped when she settled for second as the favorite to Secret Oath in the May 6 GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, Nest was coming...

A lack of competitors doesn't always translate to a lack of competition and the GII Shuvee S. at Saratoga is a case in point, with an abbreviated field of four featuring a pair of titans. Fellow Curlin daughters Clairiere and Malathaat will bring their rivalry to round six in the 1 1/8-mile contest at the Spa; the latter coming out on the better end on four prior occasions. Malathaat will be breaking from the gate sporting blinkers for the first time in her career, likely intended to combat her tendency...