It is commonplace for sharp-dressed trainer Todd Pletcher to be wearing a tie on a stakes afternoon. But on Nov. 1, Breeders' Cup Saturday, the one he was sporting at Del Mar carried some personal significance.
It belonged to his friend and mentor, D. Wayne Lukas, who died this summer at the age of 89. Lukas' widow, Laurie, presented ties and pocket squares to Pletcher and other former assistants during a celebration of life event for Lukas in August. Pletcher spoke at the event.
"I just felt like it would be appropriate to wear it on Breeders' Cup days, Wayne being the all-time winningest Breeders' Cup trainer and with remarkable achievements in the Breeders' Cup," Pletcher told Breeders' Cup publicity. "When you think about when his stable was at its strongest, back in the day, the Breeders' Cup was a one-day card and lot fewer opportunities than there are now.
"I guess (Irish trainer) Aidan (O'Brien) surpassed him yesterday on number of wins, but Wayne's Breeders' Cup record was phenomenal. He really embraced the Breeders' Cup concept and idea early on and understood the magnitude of the event and I think was always gearing up for that every year."
A race before O'Brien set the Breeders' Cup wins record with Gstaad in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), Pletcher was in the winner's circle, having won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with Spendthrift Farm's Ted Noffey. For Pletcher, it was his 16th Breeders' Cup win.
Ted Noffey's victory capped an undefeated 2-year-old campaign for the Into Mischief colt, who broke his maiden at first asking at Saratoga Race Course and added the Hopeful Stakes (G1) there and Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in subsequent starts. The gray and/or roan colt's next stop will be in Florida.
"He will ship to our headquarters at Palm Beach Downs and I will talk with the Spendthrift crew," Pletcher said. "I would think most likely that we would be pointing in the Florida Derby direction with the prep race before that. We will get him back to our winter base and go from there."
Pletcher believes Ted Noffey can handle the longer distances of the races in the Triple Crown series next spring.
"He certainly gives you every impression that that's not going to be a problem, particularly the way you watch him finish his races and the way he's galloped out," Pletcher said.
Woodbine Experience Lifts Cy Fair in Breeders' Cup
Before Cy Fair delivered a winning run in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) Oct. 31 at Del Mar, the daughter of Not This Time turned heads with a visually impressive victory at Woodbine that trainer George Weaver believes provided some valuable racing experience.
After racing near the lead in her first two races, Cy Fair rated last of six in the Oct. 5 Algonquin Stakes for 2-year-olds going 5 furlongs on the inner turf at Woodbine. Finding herself nearly 5 lengths off the lead 3 furlongs into the race under jockey Sahin Civaci, after initially saving ground about halfway into the turn, Cy Fair launched a sustained outside rally that would see her surge past five rivals before drawing off to a 3 1/4-length win.
Co-owner Reagan Swinbank confessed that he had given up any hope of victory early in the race while watching from home.
"I was watching with my 12-year-old son, Harvey, in our living room. The horse backs up, I get up and leave and say some bad words I think," Swinbank said. "I walked to my room, which is not far, and my son Harvey goes, 'She's coming, dad. She's coming!' To win by (3 1/4) lengths; it was a fascinating race."
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Besides providing her first stakes win and signaling a special talent—a 2-year-old who could drop to last in a turf sprint stakes and still make a sustained winning run—Weaver noted that the Algonquin also provided important experience in her third start.
"It was probably good for her education-wise because in her second race (the Bolton Landing Stakes) she got sandwiched between two horses down the backside going into the turn. Johnny (Velazquez), who also had ridden her in her maiden win, said she just got real tense. She got unsettled in that spot," Weaver said. "To the best of my knowledge, that's the only reason we can figure out why she didn't win that day.
"For her to realize, 'Hey, I can just chill, go when I want to go,' I think that helped her. She's a young horse. She's learning. But she's figured out a lot recently."
While Cy Fair raced closer to the lead in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, those lessons proved valuable as she initially was in between two other horses pursuing early clear leader Schwarzenegger. Cy Fair emerged from that trio to engage Schwarzenegger in the turn before taking command in midstretch on her way to a three-quarter-length victory.
The win gave Weaver his first Breeders' Cup victory.
