Breeders' Cup: Pletcher sending out just six runners, all in juvenile races
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trainer Todd Pletcher ranks second in starters in Breeders’ Cup history with 187 but this year he will have one of his smallest contingents ever when he starts just six horses in three races.
All six of Pletcher’s starters are 2-year-olds, those races being run on Oct. 30. Pletcher will not have any starters on the Oct. 31 card, when nine Breeders’ Cup races are run.
“Nothing on Saturday, that’s the way our year’s gone,” Pletcher said Friday morning outside Barn 6 on the Keeneland backside. “I guess we got to be thankful we have anything.”
Pletcher, who has won 16 Breeders’ Cup races, will start American History and Damavand in the $2 million Juvenile; Life Changing and Badittude in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies; and Bold Leadership and Liam’s Law in the $1 million Juvenile Turf.
On Friday, Pletcher put all six horses through their final workouts for their races.
American History, coming off a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3, and Damavand, a maiden winner on Oct. 4, worked a half-mile together in 48.72 seconds, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.
“I thought we had a good morning, pleased with everyone’s breezes,” Pletcher said. “American History, I thought in particular. He has had two good breezes over the track.”
American History will be Pletcher’s best chance to add to his Breeders’ Cup win totals. Pletcher has won the Juvenile five times, including here in 2022 with Forte, who was coming off a win in the Breeders’ Futurity.
“I think coming in here having a race over the track, having two works over the track, staying here, not shipping back and forth, is it an advantage? Maybe,” he said. “It’s not a disadvantage.”
Damavand stayed right with American History in his work. Pletcher knows that coming out off a maiden win into the Juvenile is a big ask, but “he’s working with a very good horse today and held his own. I think it was a good enough work to give it a try in what is already an eight-horse field.”
Life Changing and Badittude worked a half-mile in 48.99 seconds, with Life Changing, on the inside, perhaps going a tad easier than her maiden workmate. Life Changing won her debut at Saratoga by seven lengths but subsequently finished last of seven in the Grade 1 Spinaway before a second-place finish in the White Clay Creek Stakes at Delaware, a race run over a muddy track.
“Today’s breeze I thought was one of her better breezes,” Pletcher said. “Just trying to get back to her maiden win, which will give her a chance.”
Badittude, a daughter of Uncle Mo, is 0 for 3, but her neck defeat to a nice-looking debut winner Mioruilt at Belmont was her best race to date.
“That was a fast-run maiden. She’s still very green, she was on the lead looking around and everything,” Pletcher said. “She’s trained in blinkers her whole life because she’s just been looking at everything. I think she’s much better with a target, but she drew the one-hole, inherited the lead, and was a bit green.”
Juvenile Turf pre-entry Bold Leadership is a maiden after three starts – he finished second all three times including two stakes – while Liam’s Law is 2 for 3 with a maiden win and a victory in the Grade 3 With Anticipation. Friday, that pair worked together a half-mile in 49.50 seconds on the dirt.
For Bold Leadership, it was his second work in blinkers, equipment he will wear for the first time in a race.
“Thought he had an improved work today,” Pletcher said.
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