Pletcher reminisces on past Belmont victories

Madefromlucky already owns a graded win at Belmont Park (NYRA/Susie Raisher/Adam Coglianese Photography)

On the eve of the 147th Belmont S. (G1), Madefromlucky (Lookin at Lucky) and
Materiality’s (Afleet Alex) trainer, Todd Pletcher, reflected on the two horses, Rags to
Riches (A.P. Indy) and Palace Malice (Curlin), that brought him into the winner’s circle following
“The Test of the Champion.”

The filly Rags to Riches was responsible for Pletcher’s
first classic win in the 2007 Belmont. The stretch-long battle produced that day
by Rags to Riches and eventual runner-up Curlin was one of the most
electrifying in the history of the Belmont Stakes, or any race for that matter.
Just a head separated the warriors at the finish of the 1 1/2-mile race.

The decision to run Rags
to Riches — whose half-brother, Jazil, won the Belmont Stakes a year before for
different connections — was not one taken lightly by Pletcher. The three-year-old
crop of 2007 was one of the best in years. Among the filly’s rivals was Kentucky
Derby (G1) winner Street Sense and Preakness S. (G1) victor Curlin. Hard Spun, second in the
Derby and third in the Preakness, was also part of the seven-horse field.

With his heart in his throat, Pletcher watched Rags to
Riches, who was ridden by John Velazquez, stumble sharply coming out the
starting gate. In that moment, the conditioner believed the Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner
had lost all chance.

Materiality is looking to rebound off his first career loss in the Kentucky Derby (Deborah Kral/Horsephotos.com)

“After spending a lot of time thinking about it she fell on
her head at the start, and I thought, ‘Great, all this thought goes into whether
we are doing the right thing or not, and the race is over in the first stride.’
Then when she was able to recover and put herself in position, it was like, this
can really happen.”

In 2013, Pletcher won the Belmont with Palace Malice for
Dogwood Stable, the popular syndicate group headed by Cot Campbell who was one
of the trainer’s first clients when he launched his career in December of 1995.

“I got a lot of enjoyment out of Palace Malice winning
because of the connections and I knew how much it meant to them,” Pletcher said.
“Palace Malice was a horse we felt was at the top level, but I don’t think
anybody else really did because he hadn’t really done anything to prove it at
that point. So that made it gratifying.”

Both Madefromlucky and Materiality galloped on the training
track Friday morning. They will both walk the shedrow on race day, the trainer
said.

In another note from the Pletcher barn, the trainer said
that Tonasah (Malibu Moon), who unseated rider Javier Castellano before the running of
Thursday’s Astoria S. and was scratched, escaped injury following her
nearly 10-minute riderless romp around Belmont’s main track. Castellano was
uninjured.

Frosted could continue trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s current hot streak in the Belmont Stakes (Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com)

If trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s Frosted (Tapit) upsets American Pharoah (Pioneerof
the Nile) in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, it won’t come as much of a surprise to those who follow
racing beyond the Triple Crown series.

Putting aside Frosted’s merits, McLaughlin is currently one
of the hottest trainers in the country, winning at a staggering 35 percent clip
over the past three months. The run has been so good that after four-year-old
filly Easy Living (Big Brown) notched a particularly fortuitous win, McLaughlin’s assistant, Art Magnuson,
quipped to the Kentucky-born trainer that they should enter the barn’s pony in a
race. During the same win, Easy Living’s groom, thinking she was beaten, changed
the channel and didn’t find out until the next day that she had won.

“We’ve had a great run. There’s always a few surprises, a
few photo finishes that you get lucky and win, but we’ve been on an unusually
good run,” McLaughlin admitted. “The thing is we were pointing for races in the
spring, both at Keeneland and in New York, and it’s nice that the races were
going. When you can point for races, and don’t have to say, ‘Let’s hurry up and
run this one,’ you often bat at a higher batting average.”

Tale of Verve will attempt to outrun his odds once again in the Belmont (Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com)

Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve (Tale of Ekati) also went out for his final
gallop on the Belmont main track Friday morning.

The bay colt, who enters the Belmont with only a maiden win
to his credit, has impressed trainer Dallas Stewart since arriving in New
York.

“He’s trained great,” said Stewart, who finished second in
a Triple Crown race for the third consecutive year. “He’s good and healthy,
knock on wood, now we just have to go over there and run.”

Tale of Verve finished seven
lengths behind American Pharoah in the Preakness over a sloppy track at Pimlico.
The 1 1/2-mile distance of the Belmont will be crucial to turning the tables on
the Triple Crown aspirant, according to Stewart.

“(American Pharoah) always looks great; he’s wonderful to
watch train. We just have to go out and flat out-run him. That’s what it comes
down to,” Stewart stated. “I’ve always felt (Tale of Verve) wanted to go long. The
distance should be fine.”