Pletcher first to crack $400M mark in stable earnings

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Every weekend seems to bring a milestone or some sort of stakes success to Todd Pletcher. Last weekend brought both.

Pletcher became the first trainer in North American racing history to surpass the $400 million earnings mark on Saturday, the same day he won the Grade 3 Forward Gal at Gulfstream for the fourth time. Zaajel, a Shadwell Stable homebred, earned a 68 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the seven-furlong race as a 3-5 favorite.

Pletcher’s prior Forward Gal winners were Broadway’s Alibi (2012), Kauai Katie (2013), and Only for You (2014). Zaajel, a 3-year-old filly by Street Sense, is now 2 for 2 and is a candidate for the Feb. 27 Davona Dale, a one-mile Kentucky Oaks qualifier expected to attract divisional leaders Vequist and Dayoutoftheoffice.

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Pletcher, 53, began this week with career stable earnings of $400,095,070. Now in his 26th year of training, he is eligible for election into the Racing Hall of Fame for the first time this year.