Pletcher Takes Pride in Success of Former Assistants

 In his 31 years of training thoroughbreds, Todd Pletcher has developed a list of accomplishments rivaled by few horsemen: eight Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer, 17 Eclipse Champions trained, four victories in the Belmont Stakes and two in the Kentucky Derby, 16 Breeders' Cup triumphs, and 15 Saratoga Race Course training titles, among others. But as the 2021 Hall of Fame inductee approaches the 6,000-win milestone [currently at 5,991 wins through July 29 according to Equibase], one of his proudest feats has been seeing his former employees achieve their own successes. Pletcher, who worked for legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas before starting his own operation in 1996, regularly competes against his former assistants George Weaver, Michael McCarthy, Jonathan Thomas, Whit Beckman, Horacio De Paz, and Amelia Green on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit and in other states. "I'm proud of them going on to be successful, but, more importantly, I think they're also carrying themselves in a very professional manner," said Pletcher. "They're representing the sport and the industry very well. They are high-character people and great spokesmen and [spokes]women for the game. That's what I am most proud of, not only their success on the track and winning races, but the way they represent themselves and the industry." Pletcher is continuing the legacy of his mentor Lukas, for whom he worked as a groom, foreman, and assistant trainer before he took out his trainer's license in December 1995 and started his first horse in January 1996. Lukas died June 28, 2025, at the age of 89. Lukas, who was a high school teacher and basketball coach before dominating both quarter horse and thoroughbred racing, earned a reputation for developing both equine and human talent. In addition to Pletcher, former Lukas employees who became successful trainers include Bobby Barnett, Randy Bradshaw, Mark Hennig, Michael Maker, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, and George Weaver. "It's probably been the most impactful lineage as far as trainers have gone," said Jonathan Thomas, who was Pletcher's Belmont Park-based assistant 2008-12. "[Lukas and Pletcher] were A) tremendous horsemen and B) conducted themselves in a manner racing hadn't seen until that point, the professionalism and the way they went about their business. I was lucky to be a small part of that." Weaver reported to Pletcher when they were both working for "Coach," and Weaver's wife Cindy Hutter became Pletcher's first assistant. Weaver said that after Pletcher went out on his own, he telephoned his former coworker and asked Pletcher to give him a call if he ever needed another assistant. Weaver began working for Pletcher in 1997 before starting his own stable in 2002 in partnership with his wife, going on to win races like the 2004 Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen with Saratoga County, 2020 Grade 1 Carter Handicap and Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap with Vekoma, 2023 Group 2 Queen Mary with Crimson Advocate, 2024 Grade 1 Matriarch with Sacred Wish, and 2025 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint with Cy Fair. "I learned a lot from Wayne and learned a lot from Jeff Lukas, but Todd was my direct superior and taught me a lot of the stuff I learned," said Weaver. "Ever since I have known Todd, Todd has worked hard and does the right thing. He carries himself with class and composure, even in tough situations. For a guy like me who didn't come with as much of a horse background—I went to the races as a race fan—Todd was a role model. He was always on point. He always had that disposition about him. It helped me grow as a person and as a trainer." As Pletcher's barn grew, so did the responsibilities, and one former assistant who played a prominent role in that expansion was Michael McCarthy, who worked for Pletcher from 2002-13 at Delaware Park, Churchill Downs, Santa Anita Park, and Belmont Park. McCarthy's accomplishments include Rombauer's and Journalism's respective victories in the 2021 and 2025 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Ce Ce's score in the 2021 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and City of Light's wins in the 2018 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and 2019 Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational. "I'm sure if he didn't trust his assistants there would be a lot of sleepless nights for him," said McCarthy. "At one time there was myself in Kentucky, Jonathan Thomas in New York, Anthony Sciametta in New Jersey, Tristan [Barry] in Saratoga, Michael Dilger in Chicago. That's a lot. Each division may have been responsible for a quarter of the operation at a given time. My first opportunity having my own string came in 2004-05 at Delaware Park. It was a big deal for me. I specifically remember him saying, 'You run your operation like you own it.' That was a big bonus to hear something like that from him. It gave me the impetus to want to succeed, to want to represent the organization." McCarthy succeeded Thomas at Belmont Park after the latter went out on his own in 2012. In 2018, Thomas completed an unprecedented feat with Catholic Boy when the colt won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on the turf and the Grade 1 Travers on the dirt in consecutive starts. "I don't think anybody has represented the profession of horse training as well as Todd," said Thomas. "He has set the bar in a lot of realms. Horsemanship, but also the way you handle clients, and not only that, people. I think he has handled his staff as well as anyone. It's a real special team to be part of. I'm immensely proud I got to be a small part of that. Even to this day, it's my favorite thing to have done on the racetrack. I can give the normal answers about what I have learned on the track from him, but I think the main thing was learning how to conduct myself, first and foremost." Whit Beckman assisted Pletcher 2007-2013 prior to stints working for Chad Brown and Eoin Harty. Beckman, who started his own stable in 2021, currently trains graded stakes winners Honor Marie and Regaled as well as Ocelli, who nearly upset this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at 70-1 when third, beaten one length, as a maiden. "Everything [Pletcher] does is geared towards success," said Beckman. "When you work for him, you learn the right way to do everything—how to manage good horses, how to place horses, and how to structure a massive operation. He is one of the most professional people and a very easy-going person to work for. He has a mind like a computer when it comes to horses. All of us that have worked for him are blown away at his in-depth knowledge of every individual. He doesn't miss anything." A relatively recent graduate of Pletcher's program is Amelia Green, whose progression was exercise rider, foreman, traveling assistant, and full assistant before striking out on her own in 2024. On June 28, she entered the history books by saddling the final stakes winner at Aqueduct Racetrack when Highway Harmony won the John Hettinger for New York-breds. "He's a very nice boss or person in general," said Green. "You never heard him in the barn raising his voice or screaming at someone, but you can always tell when he was upset. He just never raised his voice." Horacio De Paz—trainer of stakes winners Awesome Czech, Stonewall Star, Sharp Starr, Striker Has Dial, and Twenty Six Black—also commented on Pletcher's demeanor. "He's easy to work for," said De Paz, who served as an exercise rider and foreman for Pletcher in California and Kentucky from 2006-11. "Everything is very well organized, very straightforward. And he has a sense of humor once you get to know him and you are in the barn with him. He's quick witted, for sure. He stays even keeled. I was [at Santa Anita] with Quality Road when he threw a fit at the starting gate [and was scratched before the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic]. It was a tough situation, but he was even keeled, and he handles the ups and downs." Green praised both Pletcher as well as his wife Tracy for their assistance when she launched her own training operation. "He's very family based," said Green. "Tracy, his wife, is very involved in the barn. She's just as involved as he is. Not necessarily to the public eye, but she does a lot of his paperwork and office stuff behind the doors. I spoke to them when I set up [my barn] about the cost of things and stuff you need, and Tracy has been a great help in that way." Pletcher, a father of three [Payton, 27; Kyle, 26; and Hannah, 23], acknowledges the difficulties of balancing the responsibilities of family and training horses. "It's the toughest challenge that you have, especially when you are in an industry that generally seven days a week is the normal work week," said Pletcher. "It's not five days a week and holidays off. Holidays are the most important days in racing. It's difficult to balance that. Over the years, I have missed a lot of soccer and lacrosse games and parent-teacher meetings, all those things you try to make but can't make as many as you would want. On the flipside of that, as your children are growing up they can either come to the races and enjoy that and when they are old enough start doing some barn work, even if they don't want to have a career in the industry. You can do some things that in a traditional work-office environment you would not be able to do." Thomas said seeing Pletcher succeed at both the track and at home has provided an indelible life lesson. "I reach into what I call my 'Todd playbook' every day, being with horses, clients, or now I am a father, and I have a 3-year-old son, and I saw how well he managed his work-life balance," said Thomas. "As I have gotten older, I have a much greater appreciation than I did at the time because I was a single guy [when I worked for him]. He's also a Hall of Fame dad and husband. I talk to Michael McCarthy pretty much every day and there isn't a conversation where we don't talk about what Todd had done or what we did with Todd."