BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM

For Edward Plesa Jr., working with racehorses was in his blood.

“I’m second-generation in the racing industry—my father was a jockey and later a trainer,” Plesa said. “Growing up in the horse business, I worked for him from the time I was five, spending every summer with Thoroughbreds wherever he rode. It was a way of life for me and I never stopped.

“My father became a trainer after giving up riding and I worked alongside him with the horses. Growing up in South Florida, it felt natural for us to be among the first to go through the gate at Calder—he was even the second person to bring his horses there.”

As the Plesa Sr. stable grew, and Plesa Jr. entered high school, his interest in training grew with the additional responsibilities.

“[My father began to send] me to Tampa with his lesser horses. That’s how I got my start in training. I worked as an assistant for a considerable period before starting my own business. I got my trainer’s license at 19, and that was just the beginning.”

The demands and lifestyle of horse training eventually led Plesa to explore other opportunities within the racing industry.

“Horse racing is seven days a week, 365 days a year,” he said “Then, I was offered a job in the racing office at Calder. The big question for me, as silly as it sounds now, was: ‘Do I get a day off?’ They said, ‘Yes, you can have a day off.’

“I had not had a day off in years, so that was a big deal to me. I worked in the racing office for about four or five years, then moved up to assistant racing secretary at Calder. Eventually, I left Calder and moved to New Jersey, where I served as assistant racing secretary.”

Despite finding success in administration, Plesa’s passion for working directly with horses eventually drew him back to training.

“My best friend, Stan Hough, asked me to work for him when he took over Harbor View Farm.

“I worked as his assistant, taking on the second-string horses, just as I had done for my father. I did that for a few years. Then Stan resigned and I found myself at a crossroads. I had to decide whether to return to South Florida and start over or take an opportunity in Boston—I chose to work in Boston.”

Eventually Plesa returned to South Florida to establish his stable.

“I ended up as one of the top trainers to have ever worked there—I’ve been very fortunate. There were breaks in my career, including an opportunity with Fred Hooper. I worked for Mr. Hooper for three years, then decided to stay in Florida year-round.

“I later started a public stable and everything seemed to fall into place for us. Any success I’ve had in this business was Calder-based. I’ve been in Breeders’ Cup races, ran in the Derby, finished second in the Preakness, and won over 2,500 races—quite an accomplishment.”

Throughout his distinguished career, Plesa has worked with countless Thoroughbreds, but a few stand out for their remarkable stories. One such horse demonstrated the power of patience and dedication.

“Fred Hooper owned a horse named Olympia Man and after breaking his maiden at Santa Anita, he injured a tendon. Mr. Hooper gave him time off but when the tendon flared up again, he instructed me to get rid of him. I asked if I could have the horse.

“I took him in, had tendon surgery done, and started swimming him—something new at the time. I had to pay for tendon surgery and swimming out of my pocket, and money was tight then. But when I ran him after his long layoff, he won. It showed me that hard work, doing things the right way, and a little bit of luck can pay off.”

Sometimes, as Plesa discovered, the horse you don’t initially choose becomes the one that changes everything. Itsmyluckyday was such a find for Plesa.

“Itsmyluckyday was a horse I bought [with longtime client David Melin the 2012 OBS March Sale], and it all came down to luck. There were two horses by [Lawyer Ron], and my first choice was not Itsmyluckyday—it was the other one. But the other one sold for more than I could afford, so I ended up with Itsmyluckyday.”

Itsmyluckyday went on to earn $1.7 million and become a multiple grade stakes winner including a victory in the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park in 2014. But Plesa most remembers in 2013 when the dark bay made a bold move inside the final furlong to finish second to longshot Oxbow in the Grade 1 Preakness.  

“In my mind, maybe he could have won,” Plesa said of the Preakness. “But that second-place finish was still a thrill.”

 

“We sold him for seven figures, and as a part owner, it got things rolling financially for me.”

Other top horses from the Plesa barn include Florida-bred Best of the Rest, a Grade 3-winner of $1.4 million, Florida-bred Gottcha Gold a multiple Grade 3 winner who was second in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), and Florida-bred Mr. Jordan, a Grade 3 winner of $860,615.  

 

After decades in the business, Plesa still finds the greatest joy in developing young talent.

“What I enjoy most is buying 2-year-olds,” he said.

“You go out there, look at these young athletes, and in your mind, you envision how they will grow into something special.”

Plesa ranks among the leading trainers of Florida Sire Stakes winners with 11—the first of which was My Nicole, who took the first division of the Desert Vixen Stakes in 1986 when the series was known as the Florida Stallion Stakes. 

Perhaps his most notable winner in the series was Three Ring, who won the Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl divisions in 1998. She later finished third in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and as a 3-year-old, won the Grade 1 Acorn, Grade 2 Bonnie Miss and Grade 2 Davona Dale.  

Other notable Florida Sire Stakes winners include B.B. Best, winner of the Dr. Fager and In Reality in 2004; and Adhrhythm, winner of the Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl before finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in 2006. He also won the 2012 In Reality with Speak Logistics, who finished seventh in 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“It does not matter how much you pay for them—they all have an opportunity to be champions. I’ve had 2-year-olds ever since I first got into the business when I bought my very first one for next to nothing. They’re all different, each with a unique personality. Some are overachievers, some underachievers. That unpredictability, that challenge, is what I love the most about the 2-year-old aspect of the game.”

Return to the April 1 issue of Wire to Wire