Todd Pletcher Trainer
Todd Pletcher was born in Dallas, TX and began working for his father, Jake Pletcher, as a hot walker at the age of 7 at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. Jake Pletcher was training quarter horses and thoroughbreds throughout the Southwest. During his summers off from junior and senior high school, Todd worked as a groom for his father at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, LA and at Ak-sar-Ben Racetrack in Omaha, NE. Between his junior and senior years in high school, Todd went to Southern California, where he worked as a hot walker for Henry Moreno at Hollywood Park and Del Mar.
Todd began college at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program in Tucson, AZ in the fall of 1985. Between his sophomore and junior years in college, Todd worked as a groom for D. Wayne Lukas at Arlington Park in Chicago, IL. Todd spent the following summer with another Hall of Fame trainer, Charlie Whittingham, working as a groom at Hollywood Park. Pletcher graduated from college with a Bachelor of Animal Science in May, 1989.
Todd traveled to New York to begin working for D. Wayne Lukas as a foreman immediately upon graduating from college. In 1991, Todd was promoted to assistant trainer for Lukas, splitting his time between New York and Florida. Todd was Lukas' East Coast assistant until the end of 1995, in which time he was instrumental in the development of such horses as Thunder Gulch, Harlan, Serena's Song, A Wild Ride and Flanders.
Todd took out his trainer's license in December of 1995 and saddled his first winner, Majestic Number, in February of 1996. Since that time, Pletcher has won more than 4,000 races, including many of the most important races in the world. His win includes two Kentucky Derbies, three Kentucky Oaks, three Belmont Stakes, nine Breeders’ Cup races, four Canadian Triple Crown events and six runnings of the Champagne S.
Pletcher has trained 10 Eclipse Champions, the winners of nearly 1,200 stakes, and has won training titles at more than 50 race meets.
Among his racing honors are seven Eclipse Awards for the nation’s top trainer, four-time winner of the Woody Stephens Award for Outstanding Trainer, and the two-time winner of the Fourstardave Award for Outstanding Achievement at Saratoga.
Todd’s wife, Tracy and their children Payton, Kyle and Hannah reside in Long Island, NY.
Todd Pletcher Racing