SARATOGA SPRINGS — Long before they became friendly rivals, trainers Kiaran McLaughlin and Todd Pletcher became friends.

It is a relationship they have continued, 16 years after last sharing the shedrow as co-workers, even as their horses frequently vie for the same purse money in some of the country’s biggest races.

Often each other’s biggest supporters, McLaughlin and Pletcher find themselves in a new position as the Saratoga Race Course meeting enters its final week.

With 30 of 36 days in the books, Pletcher, 41, and McLaughlin, 47, find themselves tied atop the trainer standings, each with 13 wins.

McLaughlin won with his only starter on Monday, even-money

favorite Regal Ransom, a 2-year-old Distorted Humor colt making his career debut.

“We have a lot of nice horses, and we’ve had a great meet,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not something we were setting our goals out to do, but when you get there, it’s obviously nice, and you want it a little bit.

“The fire in your belly says, ‘Yeah, let’s try and do this,’ but we can’t do much different than what we’re doing, and hope they keep winning races.”

McLaughlin is 13-for-49 with five seconds and nine thirds at Sara­toga, winning the Grade II Bernard

Baruch with 8-year-old Shakis and the Grade II A.G. Vanderbilt with Abraaj, whose victory automat­ically qualified him for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

During the Belmont Park spring meet, McLaughlin ranked sixth in wins with 17, and second in purses with $1,573,802. He figures to have as many as a dozen starters left at the meet, including Lucky Island in the Grade I Forego and Divine Park in the Grade I Woodward, both on Saturday.

In 2007, McLaughlin, who trained 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor, went 9-for-55 with 13 seconds and six thirds, for purses of $884,839, at Saratoga. His horses have already earned $847,426 this summer.

“We’ve had a lot of live horses,” he said. “Most of them that we run are live. It’d be nice to win a few more, but this is the most we’ve ever won here. If we don’t win any more, it’s been a great meet.”

McLaughlin and Pletcher worked side-by-side under Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas from 1989 to 1992, when McLaughlin left to become the agent for late jockey Chris Antley. Pletcher went out on his own in 1996.

Since then, Pletcher has won the last four Eclipse Awards as top trainer and six Saratoga training titles, including a modern-day record of five consecutive outright crowns that was ended last summer by Bill Mott.

Pletcher saddled five horses in three races on Monday, running third with Lovamor in the fifth and Hype in the seventh. He is 13-for-76 with eight seconds and 10 thirds.

“I would consider [Kiaran] to be one of my mentors, and a very good friend, as well,” Pletcher said. “We generally talk almost every day, at the races or texting or whatever. Our families are very close, and he’s been a good friend to me over the years. He was very good to me when I worked for Wayne.”

Pletcher went 13-for-149 at Saratoga last year, but was tops with $2,083,020 in earnings. He was at $921,548 through Monday, with stakes wins in the Grade II Fourstardave with Red Giant and the Grade II Ballston Spa with Wait a While.

Where Pletcher has 21

career training titles in New York, McLaughlin is going after his first, at least in North America. He was the three-time leading trainer in Dubai (1994-95, 1995-96, 2002-03).

“If I can’t win it, I hope he does,” Pletcher said. “I’m sure he feels the same way. He’d love to win the title, and I’d love to win the title. It’ll be a friendly competition.”