11, 2002) and 4,000 th (March 18, 2016) career victories and a record six Florida Derby (G1) triumphs. They include his first career start (Jan. It’s been a great meet.”Īpproaching 5,100 career wins, the 53-year-old Pletcher has reached many of his career milestones at Gulfstream. “Gulfstream has been a fun place for us and it’s always great when you’re able to win a meet but even more special when you’re able to win races like the Florida Derby and Pegasus Turf. A lot of people put a lot of hours and effort into it and we’ve got a great group of owners and horses and staff making it happen,” Pletcher said. He was also tops with more than $3.5 million in purse earnings.Īmong other stakes wins for Pletcher were Largent in the Fort Lauderdale (G2), Fearless in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), Always Shopping in the La Prevoyante (G3), Zaajel in the Forward Gal (G3), Con Lima in the Herecomesthebride (G3) and multiple Grade 1 winner Basin in Saturday’s Sir Shackleton. Pletcher won 12 stakes, seven graded, including two of the three Grade 1 races on the winter calendar, the other coming with Colonel Liam in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. The Florida Derby put an exclamation point on a winter where Pletcher won his 17 th Championship Meet training title – another track record – and second in a row after having his unprecedented 15-year run atop the standings ended in 2018-19. Nova Rags and Collaborate, respectively fourth and fifth, will be pointed in other directions. “To have three wins at a mile and an eighth now is great, and we feel great about him stretching out even further.”Īlso pointing to the Kentucky out of the Florida Derby are runner-up Soup and Sandwich and Greatest Honour, the Holy Bull (G3) and Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) winner trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey who finished third as the 4-5 favorite. We’ve always had a strong feeling that added distance was going to be to his liking,” he added. “I’ve been pleased with the way he’s been able to get a better position in the race and improve his position going along.

I think the addition of blinkers has been part of it, and part of it is he’s getting more experienced and more comfortable in those scenarios when he’s behind horses and inside of horses and taking some dirt,” Pletcher said. “He’s made a lot of progress in his last two starts. They were able to settle in along the rail and save ground before tipping out approaching the stretch, catch leader Soup and Sandwich and draw clear. Known Agenda, by two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin, was the beneficiary of a perfect ride from Irad Ortiz Jr.

We’ll just kind of monitor the weather everywhere and play it by ear whether he has one work at Churchill or two works.” He came back in great shape, good energy. Pletcher, who extended his own record with a sixth Florida Derby victory, five of them coming in the last eight years, was pleased with how Known Agenda emerged from his first career stakes victory. Off to the Races Radio returns Saturday, June 3 with its Maryland and Virginia editions: Hall of Famer Ron Turcotte and more.

Known agenda horse