“We’re 100 percent done. We’ll leave well enough
alone from here.”
That was trainer Todd Pletcher’s take on things surrounding
his five entrants in Saturday’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby as they filed off the Churchill Downs
racetrack Friday morning after turning in their final gallops prior to their
date in America’s classic.
The Pletcher quintet had taken advantage of the special
Derby/Oaks training period that had been moved up to between 5:45 and 6 a.m.
(EDT) because of the early end of training on Oaks Day. In fact, they were among the
first ones on the track and soon went about their business with a practiced
precision.
Coming out of the six-furlong gap on the Churchill
backside, each backtracked left to the frontside under the iconic Twin Spires,
then turned and broke off at the seven-furlong pole for a full tour of the strip
supplemented by two more furlongs for 10-furlong gallops that they handled
nicely.
The quintet of bay colts consisted of Overanalyze, with
exercise rider Obed Perez in the saddle; Palace Malice handled by Jake Nelson;
Verrazano under Humberto Zamora; Revolutionary partnered by Nick Bush; and
Charming Kitten steered by Patti Krotenko.
Pletcher stationed himself just inside the gap on the
racetrack and used his binoculars to take in the proceedings.
Among the interested observers for the exercises was a
75-year-old gentleman wearing a bright red University of Arizona ball cap. It
was J.J. Pletcher, the longtime trainer and father of Todd.
Asked about his choice of headgear, the senior Pletcher
noted his connection.
“Didn’t go to the university,” he said. “But I paid tuition
there for four years. (His son is a graduate of the school and its Racetrack
Industry Program.) Liked to go visit him there; could get in some good golf. And
they’ve got lots of fine golf courses in Tucson.”
Todd Pletcher, who continues to be a big fan of the U of A
sports programs, especially their high-flying basketball teams, has credited his
father for many of the things he’s learned about training horses, lessons that
he obviously learned quite well. But does Todd still lean on his father for training advice?
“Oh, sure,” he said. “He and I bounce ideas off each other
all the time.”
With all the Derby heavy lifting accomplished, the trainer
was asked if he had a chance to go back, would he liked to have done anything
differently with any of his colts.
“No, not really,” he said. “We laid out a plan to get here
with them and it’s all come down pretty much like we hoped.”
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