Todd Pletcher
When the late John Brunetti Sr., the colorful and sometimes controversial owner of Hialeah Park and the Red Oak Stable breeding and racing operation, died at 87 in 2018, his racing manager, Rick Sacco, told TDN, "He's been active right up until the very end [and] this is probably Mr. Brunetti's best crop of homebred 2-year-olds that we've ever had." The standout from that Red Oak foaling class of '16 ended up being GISW Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who at age six edged up over the $1.5 million earnings mark...
OCEANPORT, NJ--It was an unseasonably cool and windy June day at the Jersey Shore for Monmouth Park's GIII Salvator Mile S. and the match up on display for Saturday's marquee race was just as unusual as the weather. It is not often the Salvator Mile attracts a pair of Grade I winners, but that is exactly what the Monmouth Park fans were treated to Saturday with Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) meeting Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) for the first time. And what a treat it was! GI Pennsylvania Derby hero Hot...
6th-Monmouth, $56,925, Msw, 6-18, 2yo, 5f, :59.60, ft, 3 3/4 lengths. MAJOR DUDE (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro--Mary Rita {SP}, by Distorted Humor) shipped down to the Jersey Shore following a series of drills at Todd Pletcher's Saratoga base, including a five-furlong bullet in 1:01 1/5 (1/5) over the Oklahoma training track June 3. He wasn't off to the sharpest of beginnings on debut and was scrubbed on early by John Velazquez. The 3-5 favorite chased from an inside fourth and was stuck in some traffic entering the far turn. Johnny...
Munnys Gold (f, 2, Munnings--Haraawa, by Medaglia d'Oro) powered away from the gate and never gave her seven rivals a chance, running away to 'TDN Rising Star' status for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher on debut at Monmouth Park Friday. Sent off as the 8-5 second choice, the Lawana L. and Robert E. Low colorbearer shot out to the front and sped through an opening quarter in :22.41. The $300,000 FTKJUL purchase hugged the rail around the far turn and made sure it was a one-horse race from there, rolling...
The Todd Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Star' duo of Emmanuel (More Than Ready) and Annapolis (War Front) worked in company in :48.04 over the inner turf course at Belmont Park Friday as they prepare for the $1-million GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational S. July 9. "It was a good work. They went in 48 and change, finished up nicely and galloped out well. I was happy with it," Pletcher said. Owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, Emmanuel acquitted himself well on the dirt during the buildup to the Triple Crown,...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PLETCHER PAIR DEBUT AT MONMOUTH 6th-MTH, $57.5K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 2:30 p.m. Todd Pletcher unveils a pair of juvenile colts in MAJOR DUDE (Bolt d'Oro) and DELEGATED (Uncle Mo). Spendthrift Farm went to $550,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale to acquire Major Dude, who hails from the first crop of their MGISW stallion Bolt d'Oro. The bay is out of SP Mary Rita (Distorted Humor) and his third dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign. His Stablemare Delegated is a Repole Stable homebred out...
GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and GI Kentucky Derby Rich Strike (Keen Ice), sixth in Saturday's Belmont, will now be pointed towards the Aug. 27 GI Runhappy Travers S., connections confirmed Sunday morning. "I haven't really talked to the ownership group about it too much, but both of our Travers winners went through the Jim Dandy," Mo Donegal's trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday. "So to me, if he has a prep between now and the Travers, that would make the most sense." The GII Jim Dandy will...
After winning the GII Remsen S. and the GII Wood Memorial S. and running a credible fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby, Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) put it all together on Saturday. He was the decisive winner of the GI Belmont S. to give New Yorker Mike Repole a one-two finish in the final leg of the Triple Crown at his home track. It was a good story and a good performance from a very good horse. It was not, however, the highlight of the day. It's hard to overshadow...
ELMONT, NY - The kid from Queens got his GI Belmont Stakes. Carrying the royal blue-and-orange, New York Mets-inspired silks of Middle Village native Mike Repole, Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) delivered an authoritative, three-length victory as the 5-2 favorite before an announced crowd of 46,103 in Saturday's GI Belmont Stakes. It was the fourth victory in the third leg of the Triple Crown for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The filly Nest (Curlin), also campaigned in partnership by the co-founder of Glaceau and trained...
This week's TDN Triple Crown feature examines the GI Belmont S. entrants listed in "likeliest winner" order. 1) Mo Donegal (c, Uncle Mo--Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit) O-Donegal Racing & Repole Stable. B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $250,000 yrl '20 KEESEP. You could argue that Mo Donegal lost the GI Kentucky Derby at the post draw after getting stuck with the dreaded rail gate. But his fifth-place effort, beaten 5 3/4 lengths in a stretch finish that featured the 1-2-3 horses all running full-tilt to the...
ELMONT, NY -- With GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) exiting from post four, a field of eight was drawn Tuesday morning for Saturday's 154th GI Belmont Stakes. The historic, come-from-behind 80-1 Derby upsetter heads to the final leg of the Triple Crown fresh after breaking the norm and skipping the GI Preakness S. He has been installed as the third choice on the morning line at odds of 7-2. The $30,000 claim-to-fame will attempt to be the first non-Triple Crown winner to capture both the Kentucky Derby...
Getting a 3-year-old to peak precisely on the first Saturday of May is an over-arching goal in our sport. But even for the very upper crust of colts, a brush with GI Kentucky Derby aspirations ends up being nothing more than an early diversion on a much longer development arc. It's always intriguing to watch how one-time Derby hopefuls progress over months and even years, and two of them from Todd Pletcher's barn signaled Saturday that they might be A-level factors in the second half of this season. Within the...