Todd Pletcher: Juvenile Third Locked ‘Ran Deceivingly Well In The Breeders’ Cup’

As the nation's premiere winter racing destination, Gulfstream Park annually attracts some of the best 3-year-olds in training as they prepare and compete with the Triple Crown series in mind.

No trainer has done it better in South Florida than Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, whose unparalleled success includes a record number of wins in both the Florida Derby (G1), Gulfstream's signature race, and its prep, the Fountain of Youth (G2).

Since 2007 Pletcher has won the $1 million Florida Derby, a 1 1/8-mile test that has produced a remarkable 59 Triple Crown race winners, seven times including back-to-back in 2014-15 and 2017-18 as well as this spring with 2022 champion 2-year-old male Forte.

Forte also gave Pletcher his record fourth victory in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, the first dating back to Scat Daddy in 2007. The 78th Fountain of Youth will be run March 2, 2024, four weeks before the Florida Derby is contested for the 73rd time, March 31.

“Gulfstream has always been a good program for us, for our later-developing 2-year-olds slash 3-year-olds,” Pletcher said. “It obviously has a very good Triple Crown prep program, and we've been fortunate to have some success over the years.”

Pletcher's primary winter base is in South Florida, with strings at both Palm Beach Downs and Gulfstream, where he won 18 consecutive Championship Meet training titles starting in 2004. The 2023-2024 Championship Meet will kick off Dec. 1.

Gulfstream's series of stakes for 3-year-olds begins New Year's Day with the one-mile Mucho Macho Man, a race Pletcher has won twice. He has also taken the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull (G3) twice including 2018 with Audible, who would go on to win the Florida Derby. The 35th Holy Bull is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Two of Pletcher's current young stars are Fierceness and Locked, both of whom figure to be in the mix for champion 2-year-old male of 2023. Repole Stable homebred Fierceness rebounded from a poor showing in the Oct. 7 Champagne (G1) with aplomb, powering to a 6 ¼-length upset at odds of 16-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. It was just his third start, having graduated in his debut Aug. 25 at Saratoga.

“He ran super,” Pletcher said. “We were kind of perplexed by his Champagne after his successful debut and just kind of had to check him over and make sure everything was OK. Eventually he breezed so well we decided to draw a line through the Champagne and try again and thankfully he delivered the type of performance that he's capable of. We're obviously very excited about that.”

Fierceness finished as the third individual betting interest (29-1) in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager that concluded just before the Breeders' Cup. He wound up favored among 38 individual betting interests in the second future wager over Thanksgiving weekend (8-1).

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Locked began and ended Pool 1 of the Derby future wager as the top individual betting interest, and finished Pool 2 second to Fierceness, both times at 14-1. He broke his maiden at second asking Sept. 1 at Saratoga before winning the Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 7 at Keeneland and finishing third as the favorite in the Juvenile.

“I thought he ran deceivingly well in the Breeders' Cup. He was one of the few horses that was making up ground from off the pace,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, he just got shuffled back a little too far and climbed a little bit from the kickback. Once he finally got out in the clear, he was finishing up very strongly and a couple strides away from getting up for second. We think he's a very talented colt that will appreciate the added distance and we're excited about his 3-year-old year.”

Pletcher also ran ninth in the Juvenile with Mike Repole's Noted, who has been first or second in four of five starts with a win in the Aug. 26 Sapling on the dirt at Monmouth Park. He was beaten a nose by Can Group in the Oct. 8 Bourbon (G2) on the Keeneland turf; Can Group is trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, whose winter base is Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

Among other Pletcher 2-year-olds turning 3 are Agate Road, winner of the Oct. 4 Pilgrim (G2) on the grass at Aqueduct and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1); Be You, third in the Oct. 7 American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita; Oct 29 Street Sense (G3) runner-up Moonlight; and Private Desire, fourth in the Nov. 5 Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct. Nomos, fourth in the Aug. 31 With Anticipation (G3) on the turf at Saratoga, was eighth in his main track debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) Nov. 25.

“It's always an exciting time of the year, to kind of see where you are with your 2-year-olds turning 3 and hopefully have some other ones that haven't started yet that can step up,” Pletcher said. “We always look forward to the Gulfstream meet. It's always been a good for our program with the young horses starting to come around.”

Pletcher isn't the only South Florida-based horseman with promising 2-year-olds that may be seen at Gulfstream over the winter. Jose D'Angelo trains Bentornato, undefeated in four starts being pointed to a potential sweep of the Florida Sire Series in the $300,000 In Reality Dec. 2 at Gulfstream following victories in the Dr. Fager Sept. 9 and Affirmed Oct. 21. Bentornato also won Gulfstream's Proud Man in August.

Saffie Joseph Jr., who recently claimed his eighth consecutive training title at Gulfstream including back-to-back Championship Meet crowns, unveiled Peter Blum's homebred Mastery colt Merit, a popular 10 ¼-length maiden special weight winner sprinting seven furlongs Nov. 4.

Also exiting the Kentucky Jockey Club are Stretch Ride, who lost for the first time in his third start when third for 2018 Fountain of Youth-winning trainer Dale Romans, and Dancing Groom. Trained by Antonio Sano, winner of the Fountain of Youth in 2017 with Gunnevera and 2022 with Simplification, Dancing Groom broke his maiden at Saratoga and was third in the Champagne and sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, winner of the 2023 Holy Bull with Rocket Can, has Billal, who ran third in the Nashua; Parchment Party, unbeaten in two starts; and Knightsbridge, a 10 ½-length debut winner Nov 4. Trainer Danny Gargan's Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, was runner-up in the Sapling as a maiden, graduating Oct. 14 at Keeneland.

The Wine Steward is trained by Mike Maker, third in wins at last year's Championship Meet. Bred in New York, The Wine Steward won his first three races including the July 2 Bashford Manor at Ellis Park and Aug. 27 Funny Cide against state-breds at Saratoga before finishing second in the Breeders' Futurity.

Trainer Chad Brown has prospects in Champagne runner-up General Partner, sixth in the Juvenile; Domestic Product, a maiden winner second time out Oct. 27 at Aqueduct; and Sierra Leone, an Aqueduct debut winner Nov. 4.

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HISA Releases Report On Spring Fatalities At Laurel; No Single Cause Identified, But A Few Abnormalities

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has released its report on a high-profile cluster of equine fatalities that took place in the spring of this year. As is typical in cases of fatal injuries, the investigators did not identify any single cause for the cluster.

In total, there were 13 equine fatalities at Laurel Park from Jan. 1 to the end of the track's winter/spring meet on May 7. One was a horse who suffered a sudden death in the barn area, one had an accident in the barn area, and another was a horse who was euthanized due to aggressive cellulitis and concerns about laminitis. The other 10 were musculoskeletal injuries that took place in racing or training. Three horses died in either racing or training between March 5 and March 25, and two suffered fatal injuries on the morning of April 8, prompting the track to cancel racing and evaluate the surface.

Racing resumed on April 13, and three more fatalities followed between April 18 and April 20. The track again cancelled racing and invited additional track experts to review the surface. After their evaluations, training resumed April 27 and racing resumed April 29. The final week of the meet had no fatal breakdowns.

Three experts reviewed the surface — Dr. Patrick Erbland, chief scientist at the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory; Dennis Moore, who represented track management; and John Passero, who was brought in at the request of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

According to HISA's report, Erbland used ground-penetrating radar and additional technology to test the surface. Moore, who oversees the racing surface at Santa Anita for the Stronach Group that also owns Laurel, performed a battery of tests, the results of which were “all within industry norms.” The Racing Surfaces Testing Lab noted that an area around the half-mile pole had lower density than other places in the track, and Moore ordered heavy harrowing of the area.

Passero determined parts of the track were “lacking sufficient cushion” and suggested the track slow down tractors while harrowing, implement triple harrowing on track breaks, use drag harrows instead of rollers, and change watering procedures.

A review of the demographics of the fatally-injured horses found a few commonalities within the group. Eight of the ten horses with fatal fractures had not raced as 2-year-olds, and one didn't make its first start until the age of four. The report notes that analysis by the Equine Injury Database has previously found that later age of first start is correlated with increased risk of fatal injury.

Five of the ten musculoskeletal injuries came to horses who had acquired new trainers in the three months prior to their injuries. The EID has indicated that horses are at increased risk for fatal injury when they first arrive in a new barn, and the risk is reduced over time.

One of the horses was on the veterinarian's list as unsound at the time of the injury.

An examination of the necropsy reports from the Laurel horses found a lack of the typical signs of pre-existing lesions which are common on examination of horses suffering fatal fracture. Some peer-reviewed studies from California racehorses have found the vast majority of fracture-related fatalities show signs of damage in either the broken bone, or the same spot on the corresponding opposite limb. Vale also noted that there were five comminuted pastern fractures in the group, which was “very unusual” at Laurel. Comminuted fractures are those where the bone is broken into more than three separate pieces, which complicates or totally prevents recovery or surgical repair.

“Existing literature supports the idea that P1 fractures were over-represented at Laurel Park during the period of this review,” the report read.

An analysis of the horses' workout and race histories also found that the injured horses had more races per year and a greater time gap between their last race or high-speed work and their injury compared with other, uninjured cohorts. The report notes this was also found in a review of the fatalities at Churchill Downs this spring.

The report also cited numerous instances of rule violations or procedural deficiencies by racing officials, but noted that HISA's investigation did not find wrongdoing by any covered persons.

“Although there was not strict compliance with the rules discussed below, many of the steps taken by various Covered Persons were consistent with the spirit of the rules…” the report read in part.

Cited rule or procedural deficiencies included:

-A lack of meetings by the racetrack's safety and welfare committee, which is mandated by HISA so a group of local experts can review any equine fatalities

-A lack of timely injury/fatality reporting by the Maryland Racing Commission to HISA

-Inconsistent or total lack of submission by veterinarians of treatment records for covered horses

-A delay or lack of registration of horses as Covered Horses with HISA. This is supposed to take place within 30 days of the horse's first recorded work or first race. Three of the 13 horses who died at Laurel were not registered with HISA within that 30-day window, and two had raced without being registered.

The conclusion of the report refers readers to HISA's strategic response to address fatalities, which includes the formation of a designated group to oversee information-gathering about track surfaces during fatality spikes. That strategic plan, which was released in September, can be found here.

The complete Laurel report is available here.

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View From The Eighth Pole: Weighty Matters In Texas And Beyond

Not sure why, but post-Thanksgiving week always gets me thinking about weight. Pretty sure I'm not alone.

Between turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy – lots of gravy – I'd have had a hard time making weight if I was a jockey. Fortunately, I'm not.

Apparently, some Quarter Horse jockeys in Texas were also having trouble with weight recently — and this was before Thanksgiving dinners were served.

For reasons no one wanted to explain (including Jockeys' Guild CEO Terry Meyocks), riders at Lone Star Park abruptly walked off the job midway through the Nov. 11 Quarter Horse card.

Neither track officials, the Texas Racing Commission, nor the aforementioned Meyocks would provide any specifics on what happened.

A few days later, however, some of the issue came into focus when Amy Cook, the executive director of the Texas Racing Commission, issued an enforcement memorandum to all racing licensees stating that the  regulatory body intended to enforce its rules.

How about them apples?

“In the past few weeks,” Cook wrote, “specific concerns have been raised regarding compliance” with certain regulations. She then listed the following rules: 313.45 (duties of the clerk of scales), 313.161 (trainer responsibility for correct weight), 313.168 (scale of weights to be carried), 313.402 (weighing out before race, taken off if more than seven pounds over), 313.404 (items included in weight), 313.407 (duty to fulfill riding engagements).

Cook wrote that the agency “initiated an investigation in early September which is still under way. Accurately recording and publishing the weight of a jockey on a horse requires involvement and compliance from all levels of business and occupational licensees including, but not limited to racetrack association staff, horseman's organizations and owners and trainers of racehorses.”

My understanding of what happened is that a number of Quarter Horse jockeys were coming in significantly above their assigned weight – even more, in some cases, than the seven pounds over that would require them to be taken off their mounts. They were not happy when the clerk of scales informed them he intended to do his job and follow the rules of Texas racing.

Does weight matter, especially in a race at a quarter mile or less? That's not really the question. The question is whether or not the clerk of scales should look the other way if a jockey comes in heavy or waltzes across the scales so quickly that it's impossible to get an accurate reading.

The answer, obviously, is “no.” As long as there are rules, they should be enforced.

The clerk of scales is responsible for reporting accurate weights before and after a race. Did a jockey weigh out and in at roughly the same weight (keeping in mind they can pick up a pound or two in dirt and moisture during the running of a race)?

There should be no disagreements between the jockey colony and the clerk of scales. Both have jobs to do and the numbers are the numbers. But something I've seen occur routinely at Latin American racetracks would put to rest any conflict about proper weights carried.

Several tracks I've visited in Latin American countries have an ongoing in-house camera feed on the jockey scales, which have large digital numbers that are easily read.

When a race is over, and jockeys weigh in, they are required to stand on the scale long enough for the digital readout to appear. The camera feed displays the weight from the digital scale and it is shown in-house and on the track's simulcast network.

This takes the human element – and potential issues between jockeys and clerk of scales – out of the equation. Racing officials, owners and trainers, and horseplayers can see for themselves whether or not a horse carried the proper weight.

Some of racing's problems may be impossible to fix. This is not one of them. Let's adopt a transparent policy regarding jockey weight and move on to more important things. Like why my clothes are so tight after Thanksgiving.

That's my view from the eighth pole.

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