Wednesday’s card at Saratoga Race Course will be bolstered by a Pick 6 carryover of $192,498 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Sunday’s 11-race program.
The $1 Pick 6 returned $7,129.56 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.
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Sunday’s Pick 6 sequence kicked off in Race 6, a one-mile claimer on the inner turf, with an open company win from the 47-1 longshot New York-bred Take a Stance [No. 3, $96.20], under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, for trainer Michelle Nevin.
Ricardo Santana, Jr. piloted the Ernesto Ochoa-conditioned M Bs Melanie Cares [No. 8, $27.70] to victory in Race 7, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden claimer, giving both the jockey and trainer their second wins of the day. The next race saw jockey Kendrick Carmouche and trainer Rob Atras visit the winner’s circle with John the Beer Man [No. 6, $8.92] in the Grade 2, $300,000 Troy, in Race 8.
In Race 9, a state-bred seven-furlong allowance, rider Jaime Rodriguez navigated Onebigbeautfulbill [No. 3, $10.30] to victory for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, who notched his second win of the day. In Race 10, a 1 1/16-mile starter optional claimer on the inner turf, The Paddock Pastor [No. 1, $11.28] prevailed under Jose Ortiz for trainer Amelia Green, marking her second win of the card.
With the carryover already guaranteed heading into the Race 11 finale, a 5 1/2-furlong allowance on the Mellon turf, the Joe Sharp-trained Bosun [No. 9, $7.46*] proved best with Ortiz in the saddle.
Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a nine-race card, the $1 Pick 6 kicking off in Race 4 at approximately 2:56 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.
Todd Pletcher Reaches 6,000 Win Milestone
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher earned his 6,000th career victory in North America with sophomore colt Versailles Road defeating elders in Race 14, an 11-furlong inner turf optional claimer and Saturday’s finale at Saratoga Race Course.
“It’s a hard business to reflect in much, but it’s weird how when you get to these milestones that you start thinking about the individual ones and the single ones – they add up,” Pletcher said.
Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta’s Versailles Road exited post 2 under Manny Franco and settled into a ground-saving third position 2 1/2 lengths off the pace set by the favored Capital Partner through the opening quarter-mile in 24.10 seconds over the firm turf.
Capital Partner led through fractions of 49.28, 1:14.59, 1:39.05 and 2:03.34, before Franco tipped the Quality Road bay off the rail to collar that rival inside the eighth-pole, and ultimately prevail by 1 1/2 lengths over the deep-closing Sardis in a final time of 2:15.70.
“I liked my position, I wanted to be forward with my horse, but I was happy with where I was,” Franco said. “I sat and I was happy with the way my horse was running. It’s amazing to get this win for Todd’s 6,000th. I’m just happy to get it done for him, I know it means a lot to him, and it means a lot for me to win for this kind of barn.”
Pletcher, 59, is the son of trainer Jake Pletcher and began working as a hotwalker for his father at the age of seven. Pletcher worked for his father at Ruidoso Downs, Louisiana Downs, and Ak-Sar-Ben and later had stints with Henry Moreno and Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham in California. Between his sophomore and junior years in the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, Pletcher worked as a groom for Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas at Arlington Park.
After graduating from college in 1989, Pletcher began working for Lukas as a foreman in New York. He was promoted to assistant in 1991 and was Lukas’ East Coast assistant until he took out his own trainer’s license in December 1995. Pletcher won his first race on January 26, 1996 at Gulfstream Park with Majestic Number. His first graded stakes win came with Rare Rock in the 1998 Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap and he landed his first Grade 1 later that year in the Acorn at Belmont Park with Jersey Girl.
Pletcher on eight occasions has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer [2004-07, 2010, 2013-14, 2022] and has trained 17 Eclipse Champions. The native of Dallas, Texas has won the Kentucky Derby twice and the Belmont Stakes four times. He has 16 Breeders’ Cup victories and has won outright or shared Saratoga’s H. Allen Jerkens training title 15 times.
