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Del Mar Debutante Pacific Classic Day Pat O'Brien Stakes King's Plate results Del Mar Oaks |
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 Trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez celebrate after winning the Belmont Stakes with Rags to Riches.
Manhattan, Just a Game, and Foresta results |
The Triple Crown for 2007 wrapped up with the $1 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park in New York. Unfortunately, Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Street Sense did not go, preventing a rematch which most fans would have enjoyed. Thankfully, forecasted rains did not materialize and the race was contested under overcast skies with temperatures in the 70's all day, before a relatively small on-track crowd of just 46,870. A compact field of just seven entered this 1 1/2-mile marathon, one lap of the vast main track, with Preakness winner Curlin sent off as the heavy 11-10 favorite. Rags to Riches, a filly taking on males for the first time, was the 4-1 second choice off her runaway win in the Kentucky Oaks in her last start. Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness third place finisher Hard Spun was the 5-1 third choice, getting new rider Garrett Gomez replacing regular jockey Mario Pino. Santa Anita Derby winner Tiago was the 7-1 third choice despite finishing a distant seventh in the Kentucky Derby in his last start.
 Rags to Riches (7) stumbles at the start of the Belmont Stakes. |
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 7 Rags to Riches Velazquez 10.60 4.40 3.20 3 Curlin Albarado 3.00 2.30 2 Tiago Smith 3.70 Winning Time: 2:28.74 $2 Exacta 7-3 25.20 $2 Trifecta 7-3-2 131.50 $2 Superfecta 7-3-2-6 242.50 |
Owners Doreen and Michael Tabor (left) and Derrick Smith (right) lead Rags to Riches down Victory Lane after winning the Belmont. Tabor said, "I just have so much confidence in this filly. I always thought she could do it. Take nothing away from Curlin who is a very special animal, but I always felt that she was just that much better than anything."
Rags to Riches with her happy connections in the winner's circle. Her trainer Todd Pletcher, celebrating his first win in a Triple Crown event, said, "It's a special feeling now matter when you do it,
but when you do it with a filly for the first time in 102 years, it's
really special. When she stumbled, I had an immediately bad feeling. But
Johnny (Velazquez) and I talked and we wanted to be patient, keep her
face clean. We're fortunate to get it done."
The connections with the Belmont trophy. From left to right: Doreen Tabor, Michael Tabor, trainer Todd Pletcher, jockey John Velazquez, and Derrick Smith. Tabor said, "I know over here it's a big deal, the girls against the boys. We're not so used to that in Europe. So for me, yeah, the girls can take on the boys. For us, it's all about the prestige of a filly winning a Belmont, because we're not going to sell her anyway. So it's all about prestige, as you say, she's not a colt. If it was a colt, it puts a different perspective on it. As it's a filly, we are just here to enjoy and win, and obviously, I suppose if we were a seller, it would put value on her. We hope to breed from her and enjoy the produce."
Rags to Riches with her Belmont Stakes carnations. Her jockey John Velazquez, celebrating his first Belmont Stakes win, said, "She stumbled in error and the first
thing I thought was, 'Why did it happen right now?' But Todd and I had
talked and all we wanted was to give her a good chance around the turn.
We didn't want her jumping up and wasting a lot of energy. Garrett Gomez
told me she will give you 100 percent without asking. It was unfortunate
for him that he turned over the horse, but this victory goes with him,
too."
Left: The horses in the stretch with Rags to Riches and Curlin battling on the front with third place finisher Tiago behind them.
Right: Rags to Riches makes her move on the outside as they round the turn into the stretch.
Rags to Riches heads out for the post parade. Jockey John Velazquez said, "I was trying to keep Curlin in there the best as I could. I was actually trying to block him in there and trying to outrun him down the lane. He got through on the rail when he got through, so I made my move also. It was sometimes you got to play the way it looks. He was the horse to beat in the race. You got to look for the horse. I was very fortunate that the filly was running really well around the turn. I got to wait and look where he was. Once he made his move, I made my move, and, you know, she overcame everything. She showed what kind of horse she was."
Second place finisher and beaten favorite Curlin before the race (left) and after (right). His trainer Steve Asmussen said, "I thought Curlin ran extremely well. They came into the stretch pretty much heads-up. He fought back very well. My hat is off to Rags to Riches. They ran the last quarter in :23 4/5 in a mile and a half race and she's a
deserving classic winner. We lose one the exact same way we won one. At the 1/8 pole, the filly put a good neck on him and he never gave up. The one thing we've learned with Curlin is that he's a competitor; he's got a lot of fight in him."
Jockey Robby Albarado said, "I thought I put him in all the right places. I got through on
the inside of Gomez (on Hard Spun) at the 1/4 pole, which was perfect,
and got a chance to get a breather. They came home fast. He never stopped.
I thought, at one point, he could come back and get her, but she is tough.
She is an amazing filly. I was coming back at her but she is a tough
filly."
Third place finisher Tiago after the race (left) and before (right) with trainer John Shirreffs on the far right. Shirreffs said, "We were very happy to hit the board in the race. We were very pleased with the effort. If you know
anything about Pleasant Taps, they don't start getting good until their
four-year-old year. This was a big step for him. He demonstrated that he
had the class, and with physical talent and maturity, he is just going to
get better."
Jockey Mike Smith added, "They were crawling and you want to move early but I was bottled up
inside. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I had to wait for someone else
to move. I couldn't really get out. They were crawling and then they were quickening so fast,
that I had to wait for Curlin to make me a spot and we stayed on. It was
just a great horse race."
Fourth place finisher Hard Spun before the race. His trainer Larry Jones said, "Everything seems okay, he's just a little tired. The pace was very slow. I thought that was our game plan leaving the paddock: to have these kinds of fractions, but be in front doing it. Apparently, we had a miscommunication somewhere. I know C P West and Slew's Tizzy that
were on the front finished behind us, so I don't know how much slower you can get it and still hang out there. (Rags to Riches) ran very well. A mile and a half and getting five pounds makes a lot more difference than running three-quarters and getting five pounds. Maybe that did it. She was fresh. It looked like he came back okay and will live to fight another day."
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