Pletcher Goes Zero-for-17 in the Breeders' Cup

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While trainer Todd Pletcher had a record number of Breeders' Cup World Championship runners, none of them were able to bring home the victory as his stable went 0-17 at Churchill Downs Nov. 4.

"I am not one who is big on moral victories or consolation prizes, but sometimes you just have to be satisfied that your horses ran well and sometimes they're going to get outrun," Pletcher said. "In a couple cases, some horses ran some spectacular races, and we just weren't able to win."

His lifetime Breeders' Cup record reads 2-for-41.

Don't feel too badly for him, though. His so-called "Todd's Squad" piled up three seconds, three thirds, two fourths, and earnings of over $2.1 million.

The worst moment of the day came in the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) when both Pine Island and Fleet Indian did not finish the race. Pine Island was euthanized, but the Pletcher-trained Fleet Indian is expected to recover.

"Any time you have a horse pulled up you are in a worse case scenario," Pletcher said. "Obviously, we saw what can happen and part of it is getting them all back safely. We didn't have the day we wanted, but when you break it down, we had a pretty good day overall."

The best finishers for Pletcher came in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (all gr. I). Octave, Circular Quay, and Friendly Island ran second in those races, respectively.

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