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Pletcher's former trainees strike gold at stud

by Ryan Martin

New York-based trainer Todd Pletcher is synonymous with training top-class racehorses having campaigned 10 Breeders' Cup winners.

But perhaps one thing Pletcher doesn't receive enough credit for is how many of his former trainees have become leading stallions on a global scale.

This weekend, Pletcher will saddle four Breeders' Cup contenders led by Grade 1, $6 million Classic hopeful Vino Rosso and Grade 1, $1 million Dirt Mile chance Coal Front - who will both join Spendthrift Farm's stallion roster in Kentucky for 2020.

Simulcast of the Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita Park begins Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack, opening day of the Big A fall meet, which features a 10-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Tempted in Race 9. First post at Aqueduct is 12 p.m. Eastern. The Future Stars Friday Breeders' Cup card begins at 4:12 p.m. with the Grade 2, $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint.

The Ozone Park oval will also host full simulcast coverage of the Breeders' Cup on Saturday, highlighted by the Grade 1 Classic, with a locally scheduled post of 8:44 p.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Aqueduct with first post for the 10-race local card, featuring the Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm, set for 12 p.m. Fans purchasing a Post Parade program on Saturday will receive a $5 cash card.

In addition to Vino Rosso and Coal Front, Pletcher will be represented at the Breeders' Cup by Sweet Melania in Friday's Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf and by Channel Cat in Saturday's Grade 1, $4 million Turf.

A seven-time Eclipse Award winning trainer, Pletcher has conditioned 10 Eclipse Award winners. Nine former members of the Pletcher brigade have gone on to produce Eclipse Award winners across six divisions, led by Scat Daddy [Justify - 2018 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old], Uncle Mo [Nyquist - 2015 Champion 2-Year-Old], More Than Ready [Roy H - 2017-18 Champion Sprinter], Harlan's Holiday [Shanghai Bobby - 2012 Champion 2-Year-Old], Quality Road [Caledonia Road - 2017 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly; Abel Tasman - 2017 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly], Flower Alley [I'll Have Another - 2012 Champion 3-Year-Old], Super Saver [Runhappy - 2015 Champion Sprinter], Cross Traffic [Jaywalk - 2018 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly] and Pollard's Vision [Blind Luck - 2010 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly].

Additionally, a trio of former Pletcher trainees have been a leading sire in terms of either Grade 1 victories or graded stakes wins overall since 2016. Last year, Quality Road and More Than Ready led all North American stallions in Grade 1 victories with five apiece, while the late Scat Daddy - the leading producer of Grade 1 winners in 2016 - was the leading stallion in overall graded stakes wins the past two years.

Pletcher spoke highly of the longevity of More Than Ready, a 7-time winning millionaire, who captured the 2000 edition of the Grade 1 King's Bishop for Pletcher at Saratoga Race Course.

"It's been almost 20 years and he's still going strong as a top stallion," said Pletcher of More Than Ready, who will be represented at this year's Breeders' Cup by his progeny Hit the Road [Juvenile Turf], Selflessly [Juvenile Fillies Turf], Scabbard [Juvenile] and Uni [Mile]. "It's something we're very proud of and a part of our strategy is to buy horses as yearlings and 2-year-olds that can win the type of races that could ultimately get them to a stallion barn."

More Than Ready has proven to be a successful stallion on a global scale, producing champions at home and abroad, including Roy H in the United Statesas well as Australian champions Sebring, More Joyous, and Samaready.

Last season, More Than Ready's son Roy H, campaigned by trainer Peter Miller for Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, was named Champion Sprinter for the second straight year capping off his season with a win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. This victory put More Than Ready on even terms with Unbridled's Song and Sadler's Wells, all of whom have produced more Breeders' Cup winners than any other sire with six apiece.

But More Than Ready's North American exploits only scrapes the surface of what he has accomplished south of the Equator.

In addition to his champions Sebring, More Joyous, and Samaready, More Than Ready boasts 65 stakes winners from his 18-year tenure at Vinery Stud's Australia division.

"The longevity of his career has been phenomenal, especially when you consider that he's been shuttling to Australia his entire career. As successful as he's been here, he's been even more successful in Australia," Pletcher said. "It's fun for us to see them reproduce themselves with successful racehorses. That's what it's all about. Not just to win the types of races that will take them to a stud barn but also to have them go on to become successful stallions.

"It's been a lot of fun for us to watch," continued Pletcher. "And for the owners, to see the colts developing as stallions, is really the economic force that drives the bus. Or from a filly's standpoint, it's critical that you're able to get black type and create some residual value. That's where the potential home run is."

Pletcher said one of the most exciting things about having trained so many eventual sires is seeing their offspring go through the sales ring.

And Pletcher said if there's one sire whose progeny can be easily identified, it's Uncle Mo, who he saddled for a score in the 2010 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to Champion 2-Year-Old honors.

"Uncle Mo physically stamps his offspring the most," Pletcher said. "Sometimes we'll try to guess who the horse's sire is before we open the catalog page. They're all built pretty much just like he was, with good size, strength and very similar head and neck. And often with very similar colors - bay, dark legs. It's interesting how much they look like him."

Uncle Mo, who will be represented at this year's Breeders' Cup by Donna Veloce and Bast in the Juvenile Fillies and Mo See Cal in the Distaff, enjoyed immediate success at stud becoming leading first crop sire in 2015.

Uncle Mo has produced 25 graded stakes winners including Nyquist, who captured the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to Champion 2-Year-Old honors. Nyquist went on to capture the 2016 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

Uncle Mo, who became the leading second and third crop stallion the following two years, also produced 2016 Grade 1 Wood Memorial-winner Outwork.

Both Nyquist and Outwork are among the 2020 freshman sire class that could give Uncle Mo a reputation of being a sire of sires.

"Outwork would be an example of one by Uncle Mo that has a strong resemblance to him and his weanlings and yearlings have been quite popular. He's one that will be interesting to see for sure," Pletcher said. "Nyquist was a bit of a different individual. You can see some of the Uncle Mo, but I wouldn't say that you can see quite as much of a resemblance in him as you would in Outwork, for example. They were such big, rangy type horses.

"It always amazed me, as big as Uncle Mo was, how fast he was," added Pletcher. "Uncle Mo had a quick turn of foot. It was similar for Outwork. He was the biggest baby we had in that crop and yet he broke his maiden going 4 ½ furlongs at Keeneland in April of his 2-year-old year, which defies what you would normally think, with a horse of that size and strength, to have speed to go along with it."

The idea of Uncle Mo becoming a potential sire of sires excites Pletcher.

"Ultimately, what takes stallions from that top level to that elite level is for them to become a sire of sires," said Pletcher. "That's why we're excited about Outwork and Nyquist and seeing some of the sons of Uncle Mo go on and become as successful as he was."

Uncle Mo's early success is not all that surprising considering Pletcher's rich history of training eventual leading first crop sires. In six of the last eight years, the leading first-crop sire was campaigned on the track by Pletcher, including Cross Traffic [2018], Overanalyze [2017], Uncle Mo [2015], Quality Road [2014], Dunkirk [2013] and Scat Daddy [2011].

His young alumni are continuing that trend this year as Pletcher-trained Grade 1-winners Constitution and Liam's Map both have produced winners at said caliber in their first season. Constitution, a son of Tapit standing at WinStar Farm for $40,000 fee, `produced New York-bred Tiz the Law, who won the Grade 1 Champagne under a hand ride for trainer Barclay Tagg and owners Sackatoga Stable.

Constitution will be represented on Future Stars Friday by Our Country, trained by George Weaver for owners R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, in the Grade 1 Juvenile Turf.

Multiple Grade 1-winner Liam's Map, who stands at Lane's End Farm for $20,000, produced Grade 1 Hopeful winner Basin and Grade 1 Frizette winner Wicked Whisper. Undefeated in two starts for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, Wicked Whisper is among the favorites in Friday's Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies.

"Both of them are off to an exciting start at stud. They both were very gifted horses on the racetrack and so I'm not surprised that they're being successful," Pletcher said. "They were both very good looking, great training horses that competed at the highest level. It's not always something you know for sure is going to happen based on talent, but it's nice to see a relatively high percentage of our horses go on."

So what exactly does an ideal stallion prospect look like?

According to Pletcher, there is a wide range of selection of qualities and traits that a top notch sire can possess.

"There's a range of successful horses and you can't identify one specific type," Pletcher said. "One thing that we always try to emphasize is an attractive horse that's well balanced and a good mover, hopefully with enough pedigree to support them that if they are successful on the racetrack they can move into a stallion barn. That's what we're looking for, and that doesn't always mean the most expensive horse, but if they have those qualities of good conformation, good movers and good pedigree to support that and they're really good on the racetrack, they'll get that opportunity."

Pletcher said he tries to visit his former students at their respective stud farms in Lexington whenever he is in the area, noting More Than Ready in particular has aged like a fine wine.

"It's always interesting to go back and see them as fully mature stallions. I try to go back as often as I can," Pletcher said. "I think when you're used to seeing horses at the track, when they get to become full stallions they take it up another level. More Than Ready looks phenomenal. It's impressive the condition that he's kept, especially considering that he's just consistently been doing it for such a long time."

Pletcher said he takes great pride in having so many horses go on to become top stallions.

"It's something that's a lot of fun for us," said Pletcher. "It's rewarding to see them go on and do well. It's nice to be able to have a rooting interest even if you don't have a horse in the race."

There are 30 horses, including one also-eligible, entered in this year's Breeders' Cup that were sired by former Pletcher trainees. Speightstown, who captured the 2004 Breeders' Cup Sprint en route to Champion Sprinter honors under Pletcher's tutelage, is tied with Into Mischief and War Front for most Breeders' Cup starters this year with five apiece.

Pletcher's influence at the Breeders' Cup is undoubtedly ubiquitous. When asked if he has the same rooting interest for offspring of his former students even when he does have a horse in the race, Pletcher quipped: "It's a consolation prize as long as you're not second."