BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM

Since moving to Ocala, Florida—known as The Horse Capital of the World®—in 1985, Joan Pletcher has built a remarkable legacy in the Thoroughbred industry alongside her family.

Joan’s journey with horses began long before Thoroughbreds entered her life. 

“Growing up, the horses that I rode did all kinds of western showing like reining, pleasure, barrels, etc.” Pletcher said. “Then, I got into the Thoroughbred business because I broke a Thoroughbred for my boss, when I was probably about 35 years old, for the racetrack in Arkansas. I saw her go on to win and it’s just something that gets in your blood after that.” 

Pletcher’s husband is Jake “J.J.” Pletcher, an acclaimed Thoroughbred trainer and founder of Payton Training Center in Ocala, Fla. Her stepson, Todd, is a two-time Kentucky Derby winner and eight-time Eclipse Awards recipient as Outstanding Trainer.

Her love story with J.J. began at the racetrack, where she spied him studying a tote board. After marrying in 1981, they’ve shared their passion for racing ever since.

“We’ve been together for 44 years and we take our vacation at the major races and at Saratoga,” Pletcher said. 

The Pletcher’s made the move to Ocala when their business partner at the time, the late Cloyce Box, persuaded them to relocate and build a training center in Florida for his Thoroughbred stable. Box, a Dallas businessman, former NFL All-Pro and member of the Detroit Lions championship teams in 1952 and 1953, also promised to build the couple a house in Ocala. 

J.J handled the horses and Joan oversaw the home construction and landscaping. They fell in love with Ocala and for the next 12 years developed and managed CB Farms into state-of-the-art Thoroughbred training center. 

“J.J. is very good at what he does and today we’ve got a training center where we [provide early race training for] over 100 head every year. We like for them to mature and be ready to race at their own speed—some come early and some late,” Pletcher said. 

Drawing from her equestrian expertise and her father’s background in construction and development, Joan has carved out a successful career as a real estate agent specializing in horse properties through her Joan Pletcher Real Estate Network in Ocala.

“I’ve had the thrill of helping new Thoroughbred and other horse owners find farms and training centers. I’ve been helping owners find farms since 1972,” Pletcher said. “When I represent a piece of property it becomes a part of me.

“I love turning raw land into a development,” she says on the company website. “Not one where they bulldoze everything and squeeze in as many houses as possible. I’m talking about the kind of development that saves the trees and the integrity of the land to give people a home where everything is just perfect.”

For Pletcher, her passion for the horses and the people that love run deep.

“Horse racing [has] great camaraderie. You meet a lot of really wonderful people—genuine people. It has such a different people from all walks of life that enjoy it,” she said.

“I have a love for horses and for people. Especially the people on the backside of the track and all the people that put in their hard work and time into loving on the animals they take care of—they make a huge difference. I think they’re very valuable to Florida and to our industry and to what our industry brings to Florida. 

“We are the training mecca of Thoroughbreds here and our horses get to stay outside and run and play and kick and be out in big pastures. We get to see them have their own races growing up with their pasture mates. To see a Thoroughbred born and watch it grow, be there for its first race—that’s an experience that is so real, and so warm, especially the first time it crosses the wire.

“What a thrill for the owner to be involved in that and have that love and bond.” Pletcher said.

Return to the February 11 issue of Wire to Wire