It was a memorable Saturday afternoon at Saratoga for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who won five races, tying the record for most wins in a day for a trainer. The highlight was his victory in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes with his star 3-year-old Renegade (Into Mischief).To discuss his big day, Renegade's victory when all appeared lost after he dropped 11 1/2 lengths behind the leader, his thoughts on the new 3-year-old championship series unveiled by Churchill Downs and NYRA and other subjects, Pletcher joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.Going into the Jim Dandy, Pletcher was confident that Renegade was sitting on a big race.“We were super happy with the way he ran,” Pletcher said. “People were a little overly critical when it comes to the Belmont. He did run third. It's not like he was beaten an eighth of a mile or anything. We felt like he was back to his Arkansas Derby form and his Kentucky Derby form coming into the Jim Dandy. His energy level was good. His appetite was really good. He put on some weight since the Belmont. So we felt like he was back to his very best. In retrospect, I think we were a week or two short of being back to our best for the Belmont.”It was jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. who decided to let Renegade run his race, which meant letting him settle into stride and not asking too much of him early on. But Pletcher admitted there were some anxious moments when his colt fell so far back. “Down the backside, at the seven-eighths pole, the three-quarter pole, I figured this was too much, this is too much ground to make up. But when he when he got rolling he was really flying. It did show that by waiting on him he's got that more explosive kick late.”A trainer who is always stocked with top sophomores, Pletcher was asked his opinion on the new NYRA-Churchill racing series. He said his first impressions were favorable, but then he had some second thoughts and doubts.“My initial reaction was this is great, we're doing something different, we're mixing things up,” he said. “We're hopefully going to create a series where we can play off the energy we're getting from the Derby and it'll last longer. Then, sort of later on, I thought, 'Wait a second, I think we just blew up the Triple Crown.' And that is something that racing has really been holding on to for a long, long time.”There was a dead-heat for the “Fastest Horse of the Week.” 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Verifire (Authentic), the winner of the Reigh Count Stakes at Colonial Downs, and Local Knowledge (Yaupon), the winner of the GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga both earned 103 Beyer Speed Figures. The Fastest Horse of the Week is sponsored by WinStar Farm, the home of the outstanding stallion Constitution.Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman discussed the Thoroughbred Championship Series in greater detail and gave their opinions when it comes to how it will affect the Triple Crown. They also reviewed the major races from the preceding weekend, including the win by Burnham Square (Liam's Map) in the GI Arlington Million and previewed a stellar Saturday card at Saratoga, which is topped by the GI Whitney Stakes.Click here for the audio-only version of the Writers' Room podcast and click here to view the podcast.The post Todd Pletcher Joins the TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.