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#1
08-09-2007, 09:43 AM
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Pletcher to have no horses in the Travers
His obsession with having fresh horses for the BC is getting out of control.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories...sdate=8/9/2007 Pletcher may say no to Travers Trainer probably won't run any horses in stakes By TIM WILKIN, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Thursday, August 9, 2007 SARATOGA SPRINGS -- It doesn't sound right. Todd Pletcher, the leading trainer at Saratoga Race Course, probably won't have a starter in the $1 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 25. "It's looking sort of doubtful," Pletcher said outside his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track Wednesday morning. It's not that he doesn't have the horses. It's just that he doesn't want to run any of them. Pletcher's top candidate for the Midsummer Derby would be Any Given Saturday, who just won the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park last Saturday. The colt shipped back to Saratoga Tuesday following his 4 1/2 -length win over Hard Spun and Preakness winner Curlin. Pletcher said the logical next start for Any Given Saturday is the $150,000 Brooklyn Handicap at Belmont Park on Sept. 22. Sure, winning the Travers would be nice. Pletcher won the Midsummer Derby with Flower Alley in 2005 and finished second with Bluegrass Cat last year. But the timing is not right. "It (Travers) is just too close," Pletcher. "Our main focus is on the Breeders Cup Classic (Oct. 27 at Monmouth). The Brooklyn gives him like five weeks to the Breeders' Cup and I think that is a good setup." Any Given Saturday has won three of six starts this year, including his past two. Before the Haskell, he won the Dwyer at Belmont Park on the Fourth of July. "I think that's a good setup," Pletcher said. "We always thought Any Given Saturday was a very good horse. I thought the Dwyer was a breakout performance for him and he came back and did it in the Haskell." Pletcher said he will nominate Any Given Saturday and two of his other colts, Cowtown Cat and Sam P., to the Travers but most likely won't run them. He also said he might nominate fillies Rags to Riches, Octave and Panty Raid but they won't run in the Travers either. Rags to Riches most likely won't run in the $600,000 Alabama here a week from Saturday. Pletcher said her next start is probably at Belmont Park, either in the Sept. 8 Ruffian or the Sept. 15 Gazelle. Octave, winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks in her most recent start July 21, and Panty Raid, who won the American Oaks Invitational on grass July 7, are bound for the Alabama. 
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#2
08-09-2007, 11:25 AM
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So the horses he wants to run at the BC are unlikely to have a run between now and then? Or have i misread?
That would be almost unheard of over here. edit......sorry, i missed the key line. Still seems strange. Over here they would run him in both races before the BC.
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Avatar ~ Nicky Whelan  and now we murderers because we kill time
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#3
08-09-2007, 11:52 AM
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Pletcher doesn't have anyone that could win the Travers other than AGS, and how he would do with that timetable is in question. Are these horses really this fragile now?
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Do I think Charity can win? Well, I am walking around in yesterday's suit.
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#4
08-09-2007, 12:31 PM
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But I guess we'll see her in the Gazelle and then the BC, and then she'll probably retire with 8 career starts. This is just getting ridiculous. It has really gotten to the point where I wish they would do away with the BC altogether.
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#5
08-09-2007, 12:55 PM
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What happened to Circular Quay?
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#6
08-09-2007, 12:56 PM
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Maybe because TP has no horses for the race NYRA may consider moving it to Belmont to fit with his horses schedules better?
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#7
08-09-2007, 12:56 PM
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Quote:
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#8
08-09-2007, 01:07 PM
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Quote:
CQ just doesn't seem that interested in running these days.
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Alcohol, the cause and solution to all of life's problems. -Homer Simpson
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#9
08-09-2007, 09:52 PM
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Quote:
She might have had a shot if ready, which she obviously isn't after missing a little training.
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Do I think Charity can win? Well, I am walking around in yesterday's suit.
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#10
08-10-2007, 01:32 AM
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I'm only 33 and I can still remember when horses would go Haskell - Travers - Woodward - Jockey Club Gold Cup - Breeders Cup or something like that. 2 starts over the summer, 2 in the fall, and then the BC.
Wasn't that long ago. Then it became 2 over the summer and 1 in the fall followed by the BC. Now it's 1 during the summer and 1 during the fall. It's practically reached the point of having to just write off the elite horses as no longer being a real part of the game. Ridiculous.
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