Pletcher tops 2006 leaders

Todd Pletcher broke his own record for single season earnings in North America while leading the trainers list for the third consecutive year in 2006.

Pletcher-trained horses won 294 races from 1,168 starts, for earnings of $26,820,243, breaking the North American earnings mark of $20,867,842 he set in 2005, according to statistics released by Equibase Company LLC.

The other earnings leaders were jockey Garrett Gomez with $20,122,592 and Darley Stable with $6,449,822 in North America. Invasor led all Thoroughbreds with North American earnings of $3,690,000.

Maggi Moss won five races in the closing days of 2006 to break a tie with Louis O'Brien and finish as North America's leading owner with 211 wins, five ahead of the Midwest-based O'Brien.

Jockey Julien Leparoux won 403 races, 18 more than runner-up Ramon Dominguez, and Scott Lake led all trainers with 528 victories.

Stringtown Wonder, based at Philadelphia Park, won 12 of 15 starts in 2006 to lead all Thoroughbreds in wins.