Pletcher Training Dissected

Mystery man Todd Pletcher at left. Mystery since I've tried to figure out how Pletcher trains, both to analyze the races and see if we might learn something. Pletcher's post race comments after the Blue Grass Saturday add a few more pieces to the puzzle.

What confounds me on a continuous basis about Pletcher is how his horses will run away with some races so impressively you'd have to think there was something that was going on in the training other than what shows. Scat Daddy's Florida Derby from a year ago was such a race, but you could go on and on with examples--Lawyer Ron and the track record in the Whitney, then Rags to Riches at Belmont. Everytime Pletcher sends one out I'm anticipating the horse running strong gate to wire. But, then they fail such as the 5 in last year's Derby. So, what's going on with Pletcher training?

Before Saturday I'd decided (and previously posted) what we know about Pletcher training. It's somewhat in the Lukas mold with variations. The slow galloping occurs on most days at about 1.5 miles. Breezes are generally 1:01 for 5f spaced 7 days apart. Races spaced 2 months apart. Last pre-race breeze about 6 days out. And post race, you see about 3 weeks without breezes and then a sequence of 3 of those 5f breezes pre-race. Every horse seems to train in similar fashion.

This sort of training fails to explain those strong gate to wire performances we see from time to time with Pletcher runners where the Pletcher horse runs strongly and the rest of the field motors along like stuck pigs. Stated simply, a series of 3 tepid 5f breezes spaced 7 days apart with a few 1.5 mile slow gallops will by exercise physiology fail to get what we're seeing on these occasions. And so, trusting my eyes, I've surmised, something else additionally is going on in Pletcher training unknown and hidden from us bottom feeders that might really like T. Pletcher to inform us how he plans to win the Derby. Interestingly, the post race comments Saturday at last provide some insight and add a few more pieces to the Pletcher training puzzle.

What Pletcher said with RR hanging onto every word, and some conclusions, next post.

Training:
Sun: 4/13 we recommence training after some weather related layoff in raw but warming weather. First day back from Art's chest injury and he suffers a pastern injury as the youngster again finds himself on the front end of a hell bent chase from our older stallion Groovin' Wind, who had jumped the fence where he was confined. Think it's just a serious scrape, I'll see tonight. They previously, before the chase, done 10 min. of riderless paddock play in the mud puddles.