NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Todd Pletcher 5,000th Career Win Quotes

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Trainer Todd Pletcher secured his 5,000th career win in Race 7 on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack when Microsecond (No. 3, $7.90) scored a three-quarter length victory under jockey Kendrick Carmouche for owner Mike Repole in a 1 1/16-mile allowance event on the firm inner turf.

The 53-year-old Pletcher, a seven-time Eclipse Award-winner, has saddled winners of five American Classics and 11 Breeders' Cup races as part of 161 total Grade 1 wins.

Read more on Pletcher’s accomplishments, including quotes from Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and longtime owners Mike Repole and Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing here: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/each-and-every-win-matters-pletcher-closing-in-on-5,000th-career-victory

Todd Pletcher, winning trainer of Microsecond (No. 3, $7.90) in Race 7 for his 5,000th career victory: “It’s such a great tribute to the whole staff and a lot of people who put in so much hard work. But mainly it’s about the horses. I’ve just been blessed to have so many good clients who provide us with good horses who are capable of performing well.

“It would have been kind of cool to do it in a Breeders’ Cup race, but we always say when we have a horse in that our goal is to do the best we can. Every win counts and we’re happy to get it.

“Once we started to get close, you recognize it and then people are talking about it, so it’s at the forefront. But you don’t start your career thinking you want to win this many races. Our focus and our goal is to do our best with each and every horse, and thankfully, we’ve been able to do that.”

Byron Hughes, winning assistant trainer of Microsecond (No. 3): "It’s a big win for the team, especially Todd. He’s had a 24-year career and he works as hard, if not harder, than anyone else in the industry. It’s a great accomplishment and very few people have done it. "

On the secret to Pletcher’s success: “I think it’s about how hard he works, how sharp he is and the commitment to the details and ins and outs of every day in the barn.”

Kendrick Carmouche, winning rider aboard Microsecond (No. 3): "It's good to be a part of something like this. He's won 5,000 races and so many Grade 1s, but he's not only a good trainer, he's a good person."

Winning margin: three-quarters of a length
Final time (1 1/16-miles, inner turf): 1:41.78
Fractions: 23.06; 47.54; 1:11.64; 1:35.64
Full order of finish: 3-1-4-11-2-8-7-9-6-10-5-12