Just when the Belmont Stakes field seemed set to go with 11 horses, America’s leading trainer, Todd Pletcher, jumped out of the woodwork and said: “Make it 12. Count me in!”
His 11th-hour decision to run his grass horse Interactif over Belmont’s dirt mile and a half on Saturday not only startled the racing fraternity, but made every trainer in the race gulp and wonder what he’s up to.
They remember he pulled this trick before. Back in 2007, he threw his great filly Rags to Riches into the Belmont at the very last minute against none other than Horse of the Year Curlin — and won it, the first filly to accomplish the feat in 102 years.
So when Pletcher makes a move like this, everyone else is looking over their shoulder.
The media last talked to him about Interactif a few days before the Kentucky Derby when — again surprisingly — he pulled the horse out of the lineup. He said the colt just was not training well enough.
So what’s the story?
“We felt the horse needed a little more time after the Blue Grass [where he ran fourth],” Pletcher said yesterday. “He worked OK at Churchill Downs but he wasn’t up to what we were looking for in the Derby.
“We brought him back to Belmont and his last two breezes have been excellent. He has taken to the dirt at Belmont. He has a very stout pedigree. So after consulting with the owners, we decided to try the Belmont.”
Interactif is owned by two brothers, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, senior members of the French family that owns the Chanel perfume and couture business. The brothers, who live in Switzerland, are ranked 65th on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people. Forbes estimates they’re worth $7.5 billion.
Three generations of the family have run up a long and spectacular history in thoroughbred racing in France, England, Ireland and the U.S.
So who twisted whose arm to go in the Belmont? Said Pletcher, “Two weeks ago, the horse worked very well [6 furlongs in 1:14.1] and I explained to Mr. Wertheimer how good it was and he said, ‘Should we consider the Belmont?’ I said that based on the work, he had me thinking about it. We decided to see how he continued in his training.”
Well, Interactif did it again. He fired off 5 furlongs in 1:04.1 last Saturday. That clinched it.
“The breeze was dynamite,” Pletcher said. “So we talked about it, we surveyed the field, and we decided it was worth a try.”
But what was so special about the 6-furlong breeze?
“Well, it was outstanding,” said Pletcher. “And the gallop out, a mile in 1:42, was exceptional and that’s when our wheels started spinning. The way he galloped out led me to believe the mile and a half would be within his range.”
It’s the same old story. Pletcher and the Wertheimers are not taking Interactif to the Belmont — the horse is taking them.
Another major ingredient was the composition of the field.
“It’s a very evenly matched group with no clear standout,” Pletcher said. “I think Ice Box will be the favorite and rightly so, but he will have to close a lot of ground and that’s not always the best style for the Belmont.
“We just think that, everything considered, the Belmont is the right kind of race for us to take a shot at. I’m not crazy about the 12 post position, but it should be OK because we have [the speedy] First Dude inside of us, so maybe we can follow him as he clears the field and works his way over.”
Interactif has won three of eight starts, two on grass, one on dirt. Javier Castellano has the ride. The table is set for Pletcher to repeat history.