Pletcher wins 5,000th race as trainer

ELMONT, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher became just the eighth trainer in Thoroughbred racing history to reach the 5,000-win plateau on Friday when Microsecond won the seventh race at Aqueduct.

Pletcher, 53, joins a select group of horsemen that includes Dale Baird, the all-time leader in wins with 9,445, Steve Asmussen, Jerry Hollendorfer, Jack Van Berg, King Leatherbury, Scott Lake, and Bill Mott. Mott reached the milestone earlier this year.

“It’s a great achievement for the whole team, a lot of people putting in a lot of work, a lot of great horses a lot of support,” Pletcher said by phone from Keeneland where he had three runners in Breeders’ Cup races Friday. “I’m happy to be part of an elite club; it’s a fun win.”

On a day when Pletcher was entered in six stakes races, the milestone victory came in a New York-bred allowance with a horse owned by one of Pletcher’s main clients, Mike Repole.

Pletcher, who came up under D. Wayne Lukas, is on the verge of completing his 25th year training horses, which would make him eligible to be on the ballot for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2021.

:: Start earning weekly cashback on your wagering today. Click to learn more.

His resume would certainly warrant strong first-ballot consideration. Pletcher is the all-time leader in purse money won with $396 million and is a seven-time Eclipse Award winner. He has won 1,306 stakes, 693 of which were graded, and he has won at least one Grade 1 stakes for 23 consecutive years.

Pletcher has won the Kentucky Derby twice, the Belmont Stakes three times, and his 11 Breeders’ Cup wins entering Friday were tied for fifth most all-time.

Among his other accomplishments, Pletcher has won 14 training titles at Saratoga, including this year. He has won 16 of the last 17 training titles at Gulfstream Park.