Less of a job and more of a lifestyle: CALES alum Todd Pletcher reflects on his career training Thoroughbred racehorses

While the Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) has no shortage of illustrious alumni, one in particular stands out as an example of the incredible caliber of program graduates we are proud to claim as Wildcats. Todd Pletcher (RTIP '89) is one of the winningest trainers in Thoroughbred racing history. His accolades are numerous, including eight Eclipse Awards for trainer of the year, all-time leading Thoroughbred trainer by money won amassing nearly $500 million in earnings, numerous winners of Triple Crown races and his own place as an inductee to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

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Recently, the Pletcher-trained three-year-old, Fierceness, won the prestigious Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. On the heels of his big win, we interviewed Pletcher to discuss his career and his time here at the U of A. 

Pletcher self-describes as being "born into" horse racing, learning under his father and uncle from a very young age growing up in Texas. He always knew he wanted to train horses, but going to college was never in doubt.

"Both my parents were adamant about college education. They fully supported me training horses after I graduated, but felt strongly that getting a college degree was the way to get started," he said.

Once he arrived in Tucson, he found that RTIP helped him get the skills he needed. In school, he embraced the campus atmosphere through Greek Life and Arizona Basketball, while soaking up everything he could in the classroom.

"I think the one thing about the Race Track Industry Program that I didn't realize when I went there is you learn, as someone on the horse side of it, this also allows you to study the racetrack management from a pari-mutuel standpoint - from the business side of it as opposed to the backside work environment that I was familiar with," he said. "It gave me a more well-rounded understanding of how racetracks work."

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In the summers, with the encouragement of RTIP faculty, Pletcher worked with a different trainer every summer, where he eventually met his future mentor and leading trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. That perseverance and drive has carried through to Pletcher's career today.

In his words, training horses is "less of a job and more of a lifestyle." His daily schedule is grueling.

"Each day generally starts with the alarm clock going off at 3:30 a.m. Then I come out to the barn and kind of start getting prepared for the day. Most of our main training hours are between 5:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. We use the same facility to train that we race at," he said. "So the track will need to be closed and renovated and prepared for the races, which sometimes start at 12:30 or 1:00 that afternoon. Depending on what our post times are, sometimes we'll be wrapping things up at 6:30 or 7:00 at night, just in time to start over again."

Clearly, Pletcher's grit and determination have paid off in spades. This year, Pletcher will add yet another award to his considerably packed trophy shelf - we are pleased to name Todd Pletcher the 2025 CALES Alumnus of the Year.

Each year, the University of Arizona Alumni Advisory Council has the privilege of conferring recognition upon individuals for outstanding achievement and contributions to their professions, their communities and the University of Arizona. Todd will be honored among alumni from other colleges who are changing the world. We're honored to celebrate Todd's incredible achievements and dedication to his sport this February.