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The Green Monkey, the most expensive sales purchase in racing history, arrived at trainer Todd Pletcher's Churchill Downs' barn Friday.The 2-year-old colt was bought for $16 million by Michael Tabor, John Magnier and Derrick Smith at the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale Feb. 28.Pletcher says it's anyone's guess as to when the expensive colt will be ready to make his racing debut."We don't really have a schedule," he said. "We just got him in and he hasn't really been doing too much since the sale. We'll just take it day by day and get him into a steady program and let him tell us when he's ready."The son of Forestry is named for a golf course at the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados.The sales price eclipsed the previous record bid of $13.1 million for Seattle Dancer at the Keeneland July Sale in 1985. Pletcher, winner of the last two Eclipse Awards as America's top trainer, has never had a young horse quite like this one in his stable."I would say he's certainly the most anticipated arrival we've ever had," said Pletcher. "It goes without saying that we'll be under a lot more scrutiny with a horse like that, but at the end of the day you've got to treat him like the rest of them. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy."
