By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS–Travers Weekend has been good to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. And not just because he has won the GI Travers Stakes twice–with Flower Alley in 2005 and Stay Thirsty in 2011.
The annual blockbuster weekend on the Saratoga Race Course schedule is also known for the 2-year-olds. And Pletcher has had some good ones that have debuted at Midsummer Derby time.
On Saturday, it was Tip Top Thomas (Volatile) that emerged as a horse to watch in the future when he won the day's seventh race, a $100,000 Maiden Special Weight event.
The way he won the six-furlong race was encouraging enough for Pletcher, who saw Uncle Mo break his maiden on Travers Day in 2010. Last year, it was Fierceness (City of Light) who broke his maiden, that one coming on the Friday before.
“It's never a bad thing,” Pletcher said of getting a juvenile to the winner's circle on Travers weekend. “Historically, a maiden race on Travers Day is always a good one.”
Pletcher has always maintained that any success he has had at the Saratoga meet depends on how his young horses perform.
Tip Top Thomas is the third Pletcher juvenile to break his maiden at the meet. He joins Tenacious Leader (Not This Time), who got it done in his second Spa start Aug. 10 and Uncaged (Curlin), who did it at first asking on the same day.
“I think we have picked it up recently,” Pletcher said. “We have had some solid winners and that is always encouraging.”
A couple of his 2 year-olds are already on their way to bigger and, hopefully for Pletcher, better things. Mentee (City of Light), who broke his maiden at Aqueduct June 15, missed the GIII Sanford Stakes here earlier in the meet when he came down with a fever. He is being pointed to the GI Hopeful Stakes on Labor Day.
After breaking his maiden on the inner turf going a mile, Pletcher now has Tenacious Leader pointed to the GIII With Anticipation Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the grass Thursday.
What might be next for Tip Top Thomas remains to be seen. The colt, owned by James Bakke, was a $160,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Tip Top Thomas and the well-meant Rookie Card (Adios Charlie), who was ridden by Dylan Davis, engaged in a battle that lasted the entire race.
In the stretch, Tip Top Thomas would never allow Rookie Card to get by and prevailed by a head as the 2-1 favorite.
“I thought it was a good, determined effort,” Pletcher said. “He broke alertly and they were moving right along. He settled into second and rated kindly from there. It looked like he stayed on and galloped out pretty well.”
When asked what this effort could mean moving forward, Pletcher said: “It can mean a lot of different things. He is obviously precocious and has some natural speed. I really was encouraged by the way he finished and the way he galloped out afterwards.”
Heading into the race, Pletcher got an indication that he might see a big effort. Tip Tom Thomas showed him things in the morning.
“The way he trained, the way he breezed from the gate,” Pletcher said. “A good effort.”
Tip Top Thomas was timed in 1:10.46 and paid $6.80.
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