May 11, 2017 – NTRA National Media Teleconference
Preakness Stakes Preview
Guest (probable entrant)
- Trainer Todd Pletcher (Always Dreaming)
- Jockey Gary Stevens (Royal Mo)
- Trainer Mark Casse (Classic Empire)
- Trainer Kenny McPeek (Senior Investment)
Click below to listen to the Teleconference and scroll down to view the transcript.
C O N F E R E N C E C A L L P A R T I C I P A N T S
Todd Pletcher, Trainer, Always Dreaming
Gary Steven, Jockey
Mark Casse, Trainer, Classic Empire
Kenny McPeek, Trainer, Senior Investment
P R E S E N T A T I O N
Jim Mulvihill:
Thanks to all of you on the line today for this, our annual Preakness Stakes Teleconference. Most of you know by now how this works. I’ll introduce our guests and get the conversation going with one or two of the most obvious questions but then we’ll open it up and the Operator will prompt on how to ask anything at all that you need to know from these great guests. We’re fortunate to have four of them today, so let’s not waste any time. Later on, we’re going to get to Gary Stevens, looking for his fourth Preakness win, and then Mark Casse, trainer of the derby fourth place finisher, Classic Empire, and we’ll finish up with Kenny McPeek, trainer of the Lexington Stakes winner, Senior Investment.
But first, as is custom on this Preakness Call, we welcome the trainer of the Kentucky Derby winner, Todd Pletcher, of course. Won his second derby last Saturday with Always Dreaming. The derby winner is already at Pimlico, getting ready for his run at the second leg of the Triple Crown in nine days. Todd, it’s Jim Mulvihill, thanks for joining us.
Todd Pletcher:
Pleasure, Jim. Thank you.
Jim Mulvihill:
Congratulations on your second derby win, just an extraordinary achievement. Let’s talk first about what’s happening at Pimlico. All the reports so far is that Always Dreaming came out of the derby in great shape and with plenty of energy, so if you would just tell us what you’ve seen and what you’ve been hearing from your team at Pimlico for the past few days.
Todd Pletcher:
Actually, I’m out with her right now, and got here yesterday afternoon. The horse looks terrific. Had a nice mile and a quarter jog this morning, seems to have settled in a while. And just very, very pleased with the way he’s came out of the derby and the way he looks at Pimlico and he seems to be proud of himself and doing well.
Jim Mulvihill:
Very good. And I just read before the call that you’ve decided not to have a time breeze between now and the Preakness. I saw, alright, I got to hear this great interview that you did Bill Finley for a TBN podcast, and you were talking about comparing Always Dreaming’s recovery from the derby to Super Saver’s. Can you just talk a little bit about what you learned from Super Saver and how that might have then formed the decision not to breeze Always Dreaming.
Todd Pletcher:
Well, I think if I had a do-over with Super Saver I probably wouldn’t have breezed him at all. We just try to go an easy three eighths with him, which in retrospect probably didn’t put any energy into him. I don’t necessarily think it took any out, and I’m not 100% sure that it would’ve really mattered if we did or didn’t breeze him. But that being said, we have a very good horse on our hands, having the benefit of having run a mile and 1/8 and [inaudible] Preakness in a mile and a ¼, he’s putting plenty of energy into his gallops and I just don’t see the need for a breeze. So, I’m just trying to focus the two weeks on kind of refuelling the tank a little bit, and hopefully, he can show us at the Preakness all that he has [inaudible] and be ready to go.
Art Wilson:
Congratulations, Todd, on your victory. I was wondering, this, you know, as usual, with the large 20-horse deal this year, you had the usual jostling and bumping and horses having trouble, trips and everything. And, you know, there’s a feeling for some people out there who think that the derby would be better if it was limited to 14, like the Oaks is. And then the other school of thought where, you know, hey, leave it the way it is because it’s all part of what makes it arguably the toughest race in the world to win. Well, how do you stand on that, Todd?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, I first of all, I don’t think it’s going to change so it’s probably just a conversation piece really. But, you know, a few years ago when we ran Dreaming of Julia in the Kentucky Oaks and Princess of Sylmar won, I think that day was a relatively short field, maybe an eight-horse field, and Dreaming of Julia had clearly got completely annihilated at the start. So, you know, those things happen in all kinds of races: short fields, big fields, big races. I think when you have the auxiliary gate and there’s maybe that little bit margin for where horses can kind of break in, move outward. But, you know, like I said, that happens in all kinds of field sizes so it’s not limited to just big fields only. So, like I said, I don’t think it’s going to change. I think from a business perspective it’s going to be 20 for the foreseeable future.
Art Wilson:
Right. And, so, I mean, even if there was a chance, and I agree with you, it’s not going to change, but you would be in favour of keeping it the way it is?
Todd Pletcher:
Yeah, I think that’s part of what makes a great is 20 people get a chance to do it, and 20 different horses get an opportunity, and that’s part of what makes it so difficult to accomplish.
Ron Flatter:
Hi, Todd, congratulations again. Just looking back on when you took, when you got a hold of the horse late last year it looked like when he was in his sprints he was held back a little bit or he was taken back in those races, and since then you’ve obviously moved him closer to the lead on even on the lead. What showed you in that time that you had him, when you got him, that he was better off being taken to the lead?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, I think a big part of that is every race that we’ve run him in has been a two-turn race and just by stretching him out in distance there’s a lot of natural speed that put him closer in to the flow of the race. And he’s a horse with good tactical speed, as he showed in the derby, he’s capable of when he gets into a rhythm of clicking off pretty solid crash and then he’s continuing to go. And I think that’s one of his great strengths, he’s got a tremendous gallop to him and he can get into a high burst of speed and then sustain that for a distance of ground. So really, we feel like he doesn’t have to be close to the pace but certainly part of our strategy in the derby was to get away from the gate and try to clear some of the traffic getting to the first turn. And, you know, we were fortunate he broke well and that he was able to move forward and then pass State of Honour and cleared him and Johnny was able to make his way to the outside. To me that was the technical part of the race, where he was able to kind of become the stalker instead of being on the inside and then be pressured the whole way.
Ron Flatter:
And looking at the Preakness field right now it looks like you’ve got, you know, a lot closers but you have a handful that might want to, or be comfortable on the lead, not the least of which is the horse that’s coming out of the 2,000 Guineas, Overseas. Is the unknown of that horse, does that, is that something you look at or do you try to go to video? How do you gauge the speed in this race when you have that unknown quantity?
Todd Pletcher:
I think the main thing you focus on is your horse’s strengths and what he does well. You know, some of it will be determined by post position and a little will be determined by how well he gets away from the gate and some things like that, but we’re not looking to change our style much. We’ll let him do his thing and, you know, we’ll just have to see what some other people have in mind but it will be a good thing for him if we can just get him into that rhythm, that cruising speed that he has, and let him take advantage of that. That’s our focus.
Debbie Arrington:
With – you’ve had a lot of great horses over the years. Does Always Dreaming remind you of any of your past stars?
Todd Pletcher:
I think his, some of his characteristics remind me ofa lot of better horses we’ve had. And, his gait and body is very unique in his own right, just his athletic build and kind of slender nature. He’s a great mover and a great galloper and he’s got such an efficient use of his body that I think that’s part of what makes him so good. I’d say the characteristic he has with some of the better horses we’ve had over the years like Quality Road and Lawyer Ron, and some of those horses that were really successful at these types of distances is they have the ability to get into that high cruising speed, just maintain it over a mile 1/8 to a mile and a ¼. And you know, it takes an elite horse to do those types of things and that’s what he’s proven to us that he is capable of doing – proved to us in the derby as well.
Debbie Arrington:
Yeah. He seems like he’s a pretty smart horse too. What’s he like to be around in the barn?
Todd Pletcher:
He’s actually very great, well-natured horse around the barn. He’s very gentle in the stall. He’s very curious and alert. He’s always at the front of the stall, kind of, has his head out and his ears up and taking in the scenery, and he’s not an overly aggressive horse in the stall. He’s fairly kind to groom. And, he’s still a cold fish at times. But really, he’s good-natured and really a very gentle horse to be around.
Debbie Arrington:
And does Always Dreaming, his name, you know, does he fit his name? Is he kind of a dreamer?
Todd Pletcher:
It’s a good question. I don’t know what’s going through his mind sometimes. But he’s certainly curious so I get that would fit the category.
Tom Pedulla:
Hey, Todd. Could I ask you to talk about the strength of your relationship with John Velazquez and what that has meant to your career?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, we’ve had a very long relationship which I think is somewhat unusual. He’s basically our first-call rider for I think going on close to 17 years now and we have a very good working relationship, we have a good friendship. And we’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success together so I have a tremendous amount of confidence in John and his ability in his decision making. And so, you know, whatever we have [inaudible] that we feel very confident. And that it’s just been a lot of fun I think for both of us to finally win the derby together. We both wish that we could have won it on our own before, but I think winning it together was something that we always hoped for, and dreamed of and glad that we were able to accomplish it together.
Tom Pedulla:
Did you say much to each other or are you right back to work kind of guys?
Tom Pedulla:
After the race?
Tom Pedulla:
Yeah.
Todd Pletcher:
I think that we kind of said all those things. You know, it’s kind of unspoken beforehand that we wanted to win one together and we were pretty happy about it and it was pretty much like that. Johnny said that he always hoped that he could win one for our team, and I felt the same way with him. And so, it’s kind of in some ways a lot of it was unspoken but we did share those sentiments as well.
Tom Pedulla:
And then just the last thing from me is the bond beyond business level, Todd? I mean, is there a relationship there beyond the track and perhaps to the setting of the family at all?
Todd Pletcher:
Oh, yeah. No, we’re good friends in addition to that, and our families are good friends. We have children that are similar ages and we talk about the kids getting ready to go to college, and Johnny’s daughter is a freshman in college and my son is going to be a freshman next year. And sort of how, you know, family life is starting to change a little bit and things like that. And our wives are good friends and we live pretty close together, and in terms of his house is literally less than a mile from ours. So, yeah, we’re good friends in addition to having a good working relationship.
Tom Pedulla:
Have you ever had any rupture that endangered the relationship?
Todd Pletcher:
No, no. We’ve always gotten along great. And I’m sure there’s been a time or two where he didn’t think I did such a good training job, and a time or two I didn’t think he rode great. But the one thing that, you know, I’ve always said is that I can’t emphasise enough that I’ve never ever felt like I didn’t get 110% out from him. And, you know, for as long as he’s been riding for us it’s remarkable to me that he’s maintained the level of commitment that he has and the level of, you know, his desire to compete and come back from injury and just to show up every time and give you that big effort. Being a jockey is a demanding career and it’s not seasonal, it’s year-round, and to show up at least five days a week in most cases, sometimes six, and ride competitively and consistently do it at that level is – pretty special that he’s been able to do that and at the level in which he does.
Pat Forde:
Hi, Todd. You alluded to this in an earlier answer, but given the way your horse has run this whole season, especially this last Saturday, is it up to his opponents to adjust to him and as opposed to you trying to adjust to anything with your horse?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, it could be. It doesn’t mean we want to go and do anything foolish go way too fast just to be close to the pace, but we also want to play to his strengths and a lot of it I think will depend on sort of how things unfold under the first turn and a close position to have some plan but, – what we were able to do on the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby are probably his preferred running styles. We’re not looking to make any major adjustments but I do think his personal results have already proven in a paceless race he can get [inaudible], he’s also proven that he can be a productive stalker. So, I think if the situation presented itself and he was third, fourth or even fifth behind horses I don’t see that being a big issue. So, I think that gives Johnny plenty of options to ride a race that he feels comfortable in and make the correct and smart decision.
Pat Forde:
And, secondly, the – I know you’re not a big fan of two weeks between races. Is that at a factor in not breezing him or does it change your game plan in any way as far as just preparation for the race?
Todd Pletcher:
No. I think definitely it makes the decision not to feel like we need to breeze him in between. And, you know, it is a quick turnaround, and sometimes you don’t know how horses are going to respond to that until you get into the stretch of the race, and that’s really when you find out what they have left in reserve. But we like what we’re seeing so far. All the indications are he’s bounced out of the race quickly. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly he cooled down after the race and recovered so well even the evening of the derby. And all the indications since then have been great. But, you know, like I said, sometimes you don’t know until you’re in the heat of the battle if they’ve got that extra reserve. But we’re hoping so and feel good about it from what we’re seeing.
Tom Jicha:
Hi, Todd, congratulations. The previous caller pretty much asked the question I was going to ask, so I’ll phrase it another way. Even if it was in the 20-horse field until American Pharoah went through the series undefeated a lot of people thought the spacing of the races should be a bit more extended, and you are not a guy who brings back horses in two weeks. What are your feelings about that?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, the history of the race is toward the races and the Triple Crown series so important. And I think, you know, had American Pharoah not won the Triple Crown I think there’s probably a movement that could have potentially led to maybe a little bit of the changing of the spacing, but I think since that happened it’s likely here to stay the way it is. And, you know, I’m fine with that from a historical perspective. In addition to American Pharoah winning it, I mean, there’s been quite a few horses that have come awfully close in the last 15 years or so. So, I think it’s proven that it’s doable and part of what makes it so special and so hard to do.
Tom Jicha:
And to just follow on that slightly is the two-week turnaround the reason why you’ve been a relatively infrequent participant in the Preakness?
Todd Pletcher:
Yeah. I think that’s part of it. Also, that, you know, our home base is in Belmont, and [inaudible] is a special race to us and we’ve kind of taken our best shot at that by taking a pass in the Preakness and using that five weeks to prepare for the Belmont. But it’s really a tremendous respect for the Preakness, it’s something I’d love to win it’s just in a lot of cases we felt like that our horses need a little more time to recover, and not all of them have bounced out of the derby as well as it seems like Dreaming has so far.
Edward McNamara:
I was talking to Wayne the morning after the race and he said he was very proud of his adopted son and that he had not been so excited about a race he hadn’t been in in a long time. What did you learn from him as a mentor?
Todd Pletcher:
Well, I leaned and basically when I went to work for Wayne in 1989 I was essentially right out of college. And even though I had been around horses my whole life and had worked for various trainers and my Dad and Wayne and Charlie Whittingham and a number of guys. But when I worked for Wayne it was really the first time that I started my career as hopefully a trainer someday. So, it is just the general workings of running a barn and a stable and the basics of training and all of that. I was learning every day while I was there. And Wayne is a terrific conditioner, he’s a terrific caretaker, he’s detail-oriented, very organized and has so many great qualities as a trainer and a judge of horses and just the ability to run an organization. And there’s just so many things you learn just from observing how he handles those situations. But, like I said, there’s too many to mention, I’m sure.
Edward McNamara:
At what point in your career did you decide that you wanted to run an organization like his? Because you certainly have, and in some ways, you’ve surpassed him in terms of numbers of wins or did that just kind of happen along the way?
Todd Pletcher:
It just sort of evolved, you know. I think it was a very intimidating situation to leave and go out on my own when I did. In December 1995 we had the strongest stable in the world probably, and to leave a secure assistant job, and a great job around the best horses that were in training at that time. It was a tough decision to make and an intimidating one, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was just hoping to accumulate enough horses to get going and establish a reputation. And so, I didn’t really anticipate what it would grow into, and it just sort of evolved along the way. And I think by having worked for Wayne and being in an organization like his certainly helped me be able to adapt to that type of, you know, growth.
Jim Mulvihill:
Thanks so much for your time and congrats again on the derby and best of luck at Pimlico next weekend.
Todd Pletcher:
Thanks very much, appreciate it.
Jim Mulvihill:
Alright, Todd Pletcher, only the 19th trainer in history to record multiple wins in the Kentucky Derby.
Now we’re going to check in with some of the folks looking to put an end to the Triple Crown dream of Always Dreaming. We’ll start with Hall of Fame jockey, Gary Stevens. He’s won the Preakness three times. His chance of a fourth will come aboard the San Inita third place finisher, Royal Mo, who just missed drawing into the derby field. Gary, it’s Jim Mulvihill, thanks for coming on.
Gary Stevens:
Thanks for having me, Jim. It’s always a pleasure.
Jim Mulvihill:
Excellent. The pleasure is ours. Before my first question, I just want to remind everybody, Gary has got a really busy morning and he rides the first at San Anita this afternoon so I’m just going to ask everyone to limit themselves to only a couple of questions per person and we’ll try to keep this moving for Gary’s sake.
Now, Gary, regarding the San Anita Derby, you had the break from the far outside and it was really anyone’s race in that final 1/8 coming home so I’m curious how much you think your post position compromised your chances in that race?
Gary Stevens:
Well, it definitely didn’t help in the way that I had to ride him. But I gained so much respect for this colt, and being my first time on his back, of what he could cope with. When we walked up to the starting gate I was literally on the crest of the track drastically dropped off to the right for drainage purposes, and I’m seeing then I’m right on top of this thing. And there were these big sun umbrellas on the outside stand, and I’m thinking there’s no way he’s going to be paying attention to breakaway from here. And none of that phased him. I mean, he left there, you know, with run on his mind and I used him a lot more than I would have liked to get over on safe ground into the first turn, so that absorbed a lot of his finishing energy in my mind, and he was still around at the end. And actually, they jostled pretty hard in the last 50 yards to the battle of midway came out quite a bit and made some solid contact with us. You know, otherwise, I thought like I was going to be second, along with Victor knocked the stick out of my hand. And I thought I was going to be second, I really didn’t think I was going to get by Battle of Midway. And then when the other horse came to my outside, when Gormley came to my outside, he re-engaged. And he reminded me a lot of Silver Charm with his fight, and just like a street fighter. I mean, he loved it. He loved being in the battle. And I came back and I told John that it reminded me of Silver Charm’s San Anita Derby when he finished second to Free House, and we came back and won the derby.
So, you know, I don’t want to go on and on about it. But I’m pretty excited about, you know, headed to Baltimore. And what I saw on Derby Week, in fact I spent the whole week back there, and I saw a colt that was a lot more in tune with things as far as he was sharp, his eye was bright, and he was training great. Yeah, I’m disappointed, but who’s to say the extra two weeks isn’t going to be a blessing at the end of the day.
Jim Mulvihill:
Absolutely. And if I could ask a little bit more about the San Anita Derby. You know, it was, it’s been discounted a little bit before the Kentucky Derby, we had Jerry Hollendorfer on, and he said that you had told him that the track on San Anita Derby day was about two seconds slow. And then his horse goes and runs second in the derby. What does the Battle of Midway finish in the derby say about where Royal Mo is going to fit into this picture?
Gary Stevens:
Well, you have to like that he finished a respectable third in the race. I think the form held up very well from the San Anita Derby. Gormely obviously didn’t fire at all in the derby and still finished, I believe, seventh. You know, I think the form holds up very well.
Debbie Arrington:
Hi, Gary, and thanks very much for coming on today. You know, you’ve had a lot of great, great races at Pimlico over the years. Does – do you still generate the same excitement? And, you know, you’ve, you know, you’ve been back and forth retiring a few times, what keeps you going and up for races like this?
Gary Stevens:
Well, I mean, these types of races is what I came back for. You know, and I was disappointed we didn’t get in the derby. The derby is the Preakness. It’s the Maryland people of Baltimore, people love their racing. It’s by far to me the most enjoyable of the three Triple Crown events because of the way we’re treated as the horsemen are treated back there. And with the enthusiasm of the fans, you know, it’s a big party and, you know, on race day and the atmosphere is always electric. You know, this is what I came back for.
Debbie Arrington:
And how are your knees feeling?
Gary Stevens:
Well, it’s my right knee. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding that I had both knees replaced. And it was my right knee that was replaced, and my left hip that was replaced. And, you know, I feel like I feel I’ve got two brand new body parts and then the rest of me is 54 years old. So, the knee and the hip are doing excellent and, you know, I feel rejuvenated. I’m enjoying my work right now. It’s always nice not to be in pain and I think, you know, my riding record in the short time that I’ve been back after the hip replacement shows that.
Debbie Arrington:
Yeah, your riding is fantastic, and you’re riding 20 years younger than you are at least. And with all that you’ve got to watch, Always Dreaming, what do you think about him and what do you think his chances are in Maryland?
Gary Stevens:
Pure respect for Always Dreaming. I liked him going in to the derby. I loved him going in to the derby as a spectator. Once I found I wasn’t going to be riding in the derby, my feeling was that if he repeated his Florida Derby, which it seems a lot of people, just maybe it’s because of the five weeks out, who know, but I don’t think he got the respect. To me, that was the most impressive derby trip all spring long, was his performance in the Florida Derby. And he repeated that. You know, the way he has been acting up earlier in the week I wondered will he be himself in the post-grade in the paddock with the big crowd and everything, and he didn’t. You know, and I think that I’ve got full respect for him. And, you know, he’s going to have a target on his back. Unfortunately, that target’s going to be tough to catch. It’s his race to lose if he repeats the Kentucky Derby. He won it with authority. And who knows if somebody would have come up and engaged him late in the race. I think there was probably there more to see, but hopefully I’m the one to find that out on a couple of weeks from Saturday.
Art Wilson:
Hey, Gary. This year in the derby we had our usual 20-horse deal, and you had a lot of bumping and jostling and, you know, the usual stuff. And, as Todd said earlier in the conference, the format, the current format, is not going to change as far as the numbers in the field. But as a rider who has ridden in many derbies how do you feel? Would