Speaker Series: Todd Pletcher, Hall of Fame Trainer
Hall of Fame Trainer Todd Pletcher took a trip to his alma mater, the University of Arizona, in February to receive recognition as the 2025 CALES Alumnus of the Year. The Race Track Industry Program is housed within the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences (CALES) at the University of Arizona. Every year, CALES recognizes a single alumnus forming an elite group of individuals who have found significant success and made an important impact within their industry.
While visiting, he returned to the classroom as a guest speaker to pass on his knowledge and experience to future generations. Students in the class have been learning about the conformation of the equine athlete and how it translates to suitability for athletic performance. Pletcher shared invaluable insight into his ideals for racehorse conformation and how a horse’s heart and determination can overcome many faults.
Students took full advantage of his time asking questions about training, conditioning racehorses, knowing when a horse is ready for more, and knowing when it’s time for a break.
Before leaving, Pletcher left students with some career advice, “the one thing that I’ve learned from everyone that I’ve worked with over the years, from Wayne Lukas to his son Jeff, the way that I try to run my business is there is just no substitution for hard work, dedication, passion, and just giving it everything you can on a daily basis.”