Horses to follow in 2026: Plutarch

Whenever I’ve highlighted horses to follow in the new year, my rule has been to stick to older campaigners. Promising three-year-olds are an all-encompassing topic unto themselves, best left for articles geared toward the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail. 

But Plutarch is forcing me to make an exception. His pedigree, surface versatility, and unusual trajectory for a Bob Baffert juvenile make him a fascinating character. We’ll learn more in the Eddie Logan S., postponed to Thursday at a weather-beset Santa Anita. 

As a son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief and champion Stellar Wind, who raced exclusively on dirt in her career, Plutarch was presumably bred with the traditional U.S. surface in mind. I suspect that his switch to turf has more to do with his distance cravings and learning curve than a lack of dirt aptitude. If he has the skimming action for turf, both of his dirt starts have been full of promise.

Stellar Wind, a six-time Grade 1 winner and near-misser in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), was herself bred on the potent cross of two Hall of Famers. She’s by Curlin and out of an A.P. Indy-line mare, thereby combining the influence of dirt classic winners. Curlin and A.P. Indy each won a jewel of the Triple Crown, in their respective years, on the way to capturing the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) over older horses.

Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier purchased Stellar Wind for $6 million at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, underscoring her broodmare value. Not only was she an outstanding racemare, but she hailed from a productive family, including Mor Spirit and, just recently, Shred the Gnar. 

Plutarch was bred by the Coolmore-affiliated entity of Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt. Pedigree alone would have hinted that he’d benefit from time, and his relatively late birth date, May 5, reinforced it. 

Debuting over a mile on the Del Mar dirt on Aug. 23, Plutarch was viewed as Baffert’s second-stringer at 9-1. But he outperformed his odds with a late-running second to Intrepido, who had the advantage of a start already under his belt for Jeff Mullins. 

Plutarch’s gaudy 102 Brisnet Late Pace rating wasn’t the only key takeaway. The other was his greenness. 

Although Plutarch broke well and could have bagged a good tracking position on the inside, he appeared to toss his head as if reacting to the kickback. He settled into rhythm down the backstretch, only to lose focus and find himself outpaced in last of the quintet. 

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke kept trying to galvanize him, and he finally succeeded after switching to the outside. Then the proverbial light bulb went off. Lengthening stride in eye-catching fashion, Plutarch blew right by his 1-2 stablemate, Provenance, and eventually passed Intrepido on the gallop-out.

If Plutarch showed that he had an engine, he also revealed the need for more experience and an absolute prerequisite of two turns. The Sept. 7 Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3) would meet both requirements, so Plutarch wheeled back on fairly short rest to try turf. 

Plutarch found a different way to race greenly while still running well, taking second. With the blinkers off, he broke a tad slowly, bided his time at the rear, and again uncorked a dynamic stretch rally. But this time, he was more interested in sightseeing toward the grandstand, and lugging in, than targeting Hey Nay Nay in front of him. 

While it’s questionable whether Plutarch could have caught Hey Nay Nay in any event, his gawking antics cost him a good chunk of his 1 1/2-length margin of defeat. Jockey Juan Hernandez had his hands full just trying to steer him. 

Baffert still had enough residual faith in Plutarch to pitch him into the American Pharoah (G1), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) as well as a Derby points race. The 8.30-1 chance turned in an even better effort in defeat, beaten just three-quarters of a length by old foe Intrepido.

Putting the blinkers back on, Plutarch again dropped off the pace, but he showed a more aggressive spirit. He tugged on Kazushi Kimura early on the backstretch, attacked the inside route on the far turn, and telegraphed that he was full of run, awaiting room. 

The gap came on the rail, and Plutarch seized it on command. Grinding relentlessly forward, he was poised to upset stablemate Desert Gate until both got nailed by Intrepido. Somehow, Desert Gate got the lucky bob for second at Plutarch’s expense.

Considering his improved professionalism in the American Pharoah, where he earned a 98 Brisnet Speed rating, I would have been interested to see Plutarch advance to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Admittedly, that was fueled more by curiosity than logic, and his ranking on the Baffert depth chart did not allow for it. 

Plutarch lowered his sights to the Future Stars Friday undercard and reverted to turf in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. For the first time in his life, Plutarch went off as the favorite, and he collected another placing. Unhurried off a modest tempo going a flat mile, he had no chance of reeling in Conducted and Proton, who were one-two at every call. Plutarch had the added annoyance of scrimmaging with Dr. Agne (Lady Eli’s son) before edging him for third.  

Plutarch put it all together when dropping into maiden company back over the Del Mar turf Dec. 5. Yet the class relief might not have been as significant as the distance. At last finding an opportunity to race 1 1/8 miles, Plutarch looked like a different animal. The even-money favorite steadily advanced into striking range by the far turn, circled the field, and struck the front in midstretch. 

Even then, Plutarch was just warming up and getting organized. He zoomed away from them before Flavien Prat helped him to switch leads. Plutarch fired off a final furlong in :11.73, rapidly extending his margin to 4 1/2 lengths.

Assuming the Eddie Logan stays on turf, Plutarch will face a class hike while shortening up to his bare minimum trip of a mile. Maybe he’s reached the point where he can handle that assignment. 

Either way, the Eddie Logan might well be a bridge to bigger and longer targets for a colt whose mental and physical development are aligning. With his pedigree and connections, you’d have to think that another crack at dirt is in his future. 

Ideally, we’ll see Plutarch live up to his illustrious namesake and maybe warrant a biography of his own one day.