By NYRA Press Staff — Trainer Todd Pletcher secured his 5,000th career win in Race 7 on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack when Microsecond (No. 3, $7.90) scored a three-quarter length victory under jockey Kendrick Carmouche for owner Mike Repole in a 1 1/16-mile allowance event on the firm inner turf.
The 53-year-old Pletcher, a seven-time Eclipse Award-winner, has saddled winners of five American Classics and 11 Breeders’ Cup races as part of 161 total Grade 1 wins.
Said Todd Pletcher: “It’s such a great tribute to the whole staff and a lot of people who put in so much hard work. But mainly it’s about the horses. I’ve just been blessed to have so many good clients who provide us with good horses who are capable of performing well.
“It would have been kind of cool to do it in a Breeders’ Cup race, but we always say when we have a horse in that our goal is to do the best we can. Every win counts and we’re happy to get it.
“Once we started to get close, you recognize it and then people are talking about it, so it’s at the forefront. But you don’t start your career thinking you want to win this many races. Our focus and our goal is to do our best with each and every horse, and thankfully, we’ve been able to do that.”
