Is it Rags’ Time to Enter the Hall of Fame?
This column is inspired by noted artist Lisa Palombo’s newly released “Famous Fillies Folios” containing extraordinary head-on racing images of seven great fillies — Ruffian, Lady’s Secret, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Winnning Colors, Rags to Riches, and Thorpedo Anna, Of these, Thorpedo Anna is still racing. But I couldn’t help but notice that of the other six, only Rags to Riches is not in the Hall of Fame. And that begs the question:
Is it Rags’ Time to Enter the Hall of Fame?
By Steve Haskin
Rags to Riches, part of the “Famous Fillies collection by artist Lisa Palombo. Original painting and limited edition prints available for purchase.
Congratulations to those of you who came up with the answer to the trivia question I posed on Facebook.
You win an all-expenses paid trip on Professor Peabody’s Way-Back machine to New York City in the year 2007 to relive one of the greatest turf heavyweight slugfests ever seen between a male and female.
To those who missed the question, it was:
Name the only classic-winning horse to be trained by two different trainers, each of whom won at least one Grade 1 stakes with that horse, and each of whom won at least one classic with other horses.
Yes, it is Rags to Riches, and the two trainers are Todd Pletcher and Mike McCarthy and here is the tricky part. Pletcher trained Rags to Riches to win the 2007 Belmont Stakes defeating eventual two-time Horse of the Year Curlin after an epic stretch-long battle, and McCarthy, who, as assistant to Pletcher at the time, was the trainer of record of Rags to Riches for her maiden victory and her score in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes during Pletcher’s suspension. But take note that McCarthy was pretty much the filly’s day-to-day trainer that winter, running Pletcher’s Santa Anita stable.
Now, 18 years later, it looks as though Pletcher and McCarthy will square off in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with the former having multi Grade 1-winning 4-year-olds Fierceness and Mindframe, and McCarthy sending out Preakness winner Journalism.
With our quiz out of the way, let’s go back to that historic 2007 Belmont Stakes and the Hall of Fame mention in the introduction. What is interesting, as we noted, is that the loser of that battle is in the Hall of Fame and the victor is not. But we’re all aware the circumstances are different, with Rags to Richhaving made only seven career starts.
So, is having so few starts the reason Rags to Riches is not in the Hall of Fame, despite being on the ballot the past nine years? Or is it a combination of that as well as having five of the last seven horses on the ballot being fillies and the log jam of top-class distaffers, especially with arch rivals Blind Luck, winner of 10 Grade I and Grade 2 stakes, and Horse of the Year Havre de Grace apparently cancelling each other out year after year?
Obviously no one can know for sure, but here are a few more questions. Name the only filly in the past 120 years to defeat colts in the Belmont? Yep, Rags to Riches. Name the only filly to defeat a Hall of Fame colt in a classic? Again, it is Rags to Riches. Name the only U.S. Champion 3-year-old filly and World Champion 3-year-old Filly (by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) to defeat the U.S. Horse of the Year and World Champion Horse of the Year? Again, Rags to Riches. Name the only filly in the last 34 years to win the Grade I Kentucky Oaks and Santa Anita Oaks? Do I need to answer? Finally, name the only Belmont Stakes winner who was a half-sister to a Belmont Stakes winner? Rags to Riches’ brother Jazil won the Test of the Champion the year before his sister won.
I am not here to decide who should or should not be in the Hall of Fame. I am merely stating facts and setting the stage for that trip back in time.
The story actually begins in the fall of 2005. Pletcher felt Rags to Riches, who was bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, was special the minute he laid eyes on her. “I saw her at the Keeneland September yearling sale and loved her then,” he said. “She had a great head and a smart eye. She was very well balanced and athletic-looking, with a great walk. You see all that and then you look down at the pedigree page and you say, ‘Wow!’
“We got her in at Churchill in early April last year and started breezing her Derby week. Just watching her the very first time she breezed it was obvious she was pretty special.”
Pletcher, Tabor, and Smith knew what they had right from the start from the glowing reports from David Scanlon, who broke the filly at his training center in Ocala, Florida.
“We used to call her the runway model, because she was all legs and absolutely gorgeous,” Scanlon said. “But she had her own attitude. She was a dominant female. When you walked in the barn she’d have her head sticking out, and when you went to pet her she’d stomp her feet and start squealing. She had her own regimen and you did things to fit her schedule. Basically, she wanted to go to the track, eat, do her deal, and be left alone. You didn’t want to get in a fight with her; you just wanted to work out an agreement. But once she got on the racetrack, she’d just float out there. She was such a beautiful moving filly.”
At 2, Rags to Riches finished fourth in her debut at Churchill Downs, but a physical setback sidelined her for seven months. When she returned she was still quite a handful, so Pletcher contacted Diane Volz, who has been doing physical therapy on Pletcher’s horses for years, and asked her to order another CHI infrasound machine, which she hooked up above Rags to Riches’ stall.
“The first time I worked on her she came at me with her mouth wide open,” Volz recalled. “But with the CHI she’s come around and mellowed. The CHI stimulates the alpha waves—or early sleep waves—and helps them settle down and relax.”
With Pletcher serving a suspension, Rags to Riches was sent to McCarthy at Santa Anita, where she broke her maiden on January 7 in spectacular fashion by six lengths, after which she won the Las Virgenes Stakes with an amazing wide run throughout. That was followed by easy victories in the Santa Anita Oaks and set up what proved to be an unusual showdown in the Kentucky Oaks between Rags to Riches and the her Pletcher-trained barn mate Octave, coming off four straight second-place finishes, three of them in Grade 1 stakes and one in Grade 2. So it was Pletcher East vs. Pletcher/McCarthy West.
Over a sealed muddy track at Churchill Downs, Rags to Riches was sent off as the 3-2 favorite and won under a hand ride by 4 ¼-lengths, with Octave playing the role of the bridesmaid yet again. (Interestingly, Octave would come off that race to win the Grade 1 Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks in her next two starts).
Five weeks later Rags to Riches would reach for the stars and became a household name.
The story of the 2007 Belmont Stakes actually begins at the three-sixteenths pole of the Preakness, as the impressive Kentucky Derby winner and juvenile champion Street Sense charges past second-choice Curlin and then third-choice Hard Spun and opens up a 1 ½-length lead at the eighth pole, appearing to be home free. At that point, most everyone began planning their trip to New York in their mind to surely see racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 29 years demolish what remained of his competition. He would have already toyed with his two most talented rivals in the Derby and Preaknesss, and with his pedigree, was certainly going to relish the mile and a half.
But in the blink of an eye, the New York Racing Association, the media, and ABC watched their Triple Crown storyline disappear when Curlin somehow re-rallied and nipped Street Sense in the closing jump. Then, even the big rubber match angle evaporated as well when trainer Carl Nafzger announced that Street Sense would pass the Belmont, leaving Curlin, now racing’s budding superstar, with little competition other than the front-running Hard Spun, who he had just beaten by four lengths and who looked suspect at 12 furlongs.
So now NYRA needed to inject some life into the Belmont. But with Todd Pletcher? At the time, Pletcher was not one to evoke much fervor, especially from the New York fans. Because of his never-ending arsenal of stakes winners, his stoic personality in the public arena, and his unprecedented domination of New York racing, he would need a special horse to reach into people’s hearts and allow them to see the soul that lay hidden behind Team Pletcher’s machine-like organization.
The chain of events began when Hard Spun’s trainer Larry Jones and owner Rick Porter agreed to replace regular rider Mario Pino. That set the wheels in motion in several directions.
Rags to Riches, who had begun the year in California and had Santa Anita-based Garrett Gomez as her regular rider. To this point, there had been no mention of Rags to Riches running in the Belmont following her impressive victory in the Kentucky Oaks.
John Velazquez, who was Pletcher’s longtime go-to rider, had ridden his colt Circular Quay to off-the-board finishes in the Derby and Preakness. With little hope of lining up a mount from Pletcher in the Belmont, Velazquez signed on to ride Lexington Stakes and Lone Star Derby winner Slew’s Tizzy. Then when Gomez was offered the mount on Hard Spun, his agent Ron Anderson asked Pletcher about the filly’s Belmont status.
“Ron came by and said, ‘What are you going to do with the filly?’ ” Pletcher said. “I said I really don’t think we’re going to run if Street Sense, Curlin, and Hard Spun all run. I thought Street Sense was going to run at that stage. Ron was able to buy a couple of days, but he was under pressure to make a commitment, so I told him, ‘You’ve got to do what you have to do, and I can’t blame you. I don’t want to hold you up.’ ”
Anderson took the mount on Hard Spun, but then Street Sense was withdrawn and Pletcher provided the final leg of the Triple Crown with a much-needed shot in the arm by announcing his $1.9-million glamour queen would take on the mighty Curlin in the 1 1/2-mile classic.
When Rags to Riches was declared a starter the day before entries were drawn, Anderson, having already given Jones a commitment, went to him to survey the situation. Jones told him he intended for Gomez to ride Hard Spun as agreed upon. That opened the door for Velazquez and his agent Angel Cordero, but they too had made a commitment and needed to be released by Slew’s Tizzy’s trainer, Greg Fox.
“I wasn’t surprised when they came to me,” Fox said. “It’s very much a part of racing, and I told them they could ride the filly and I would make an adjustment. John Velazquez and Todd Pletcher are part of the same family as far as I’m concerned. How can you not ride for your family?”
So, Velazquez somehow had found his way aboard Rags to Riches. Destiny seemed to be directing Pletcher and Velazquez to their long-awaited first classic victory.
Pletcher’s Belmont day, however, did not start off very well. He was suffering from the flu that was so bad he awoke five times the night before and had to change his T-shirt each time because he was sweating so profusely. His stable crew realized how sick he was when he didn’t show up at the barn that morning. When he did arrive at the track, he said, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the day.”
The day got even worse when he suffered defeats in the Birdstone Stakes with A. P. Arrow; the True North Handicap with Keyed Entry; the Just a Game Stakes with Wait a While; and the Woody Stephens Breeders’ Cup Stakes with Deadly Dealer. His fortunes changed with Cotton Blossom’s victory in the Acorn Stakes, but he suffered another defeat when his top grass star English Channel was beaten a head in the Manhattan Handicap.
Weak and rubber-legged, Pletcher had one more race to go. “A Belmont victory would certainly pick my head up,” he said as he headed to the paddock.
But any thoughts of victory were diminished at the start when Rags to Riches stumbled badly coming out of the gate. “My heart stopped,” Velazquez said. “The first thing I thought of was, hopefully, she doesn’t pull a shoe and get hurt.”
If Pletcher was sick before the race, he had to feel downright awful after watching the break. “I was absolutely devastated,” he said. “I was so upset I threw my binoculars down. I thought I had blown it by running her.”
Rags to Riches, far left, stumbles to her knees at the start of the 2007 Belmont Stakes.
But Rags to Riches, one of the toughest fillies I’ve ever been around, never missed a beat, She quickly recovered, but was in danger of going extremely wide when C P West floated Slew’s Tizzy out toward the middle of the track. Velazquez was able to move in several paths, but was still some four or five wide, which could be disastrous at Belmont Park. Down the backstretch, C P West still led through dawdling fractions of :24 3/5, :50, and 1:15 1/5, while racing three paths off the rail. Rags to Riches, sent off at 4-1, was seven wide, with Curlin, the even-money favorite, tucked in on the inside behind C P West and Slew’s Tizzy and directly inside Hard Spun.
Hard Spun, who was under a tight hold by Gomez down the backstretch and running more than five seconds slower than he had in the Preakness, had Curlin bottled up. After a mile in a lethargic 1:40 1/5, Gomez made his move on Hard Spun, with Curlin still biding his time waiting for an opening. Rags to Riches made steady progress on the far outside and moved up to challenge. Just then, Robby Albarado, with a watchful eye on the filly, shot Curlin through a gap between C P West and Hard Spun and seemed to have beaten Rags to Riches to the punch. But she quickly accelerated and stuck her head in front turning for home.
Now, as they honed in on each other, it was time to see which one had the strongest will. It was a classic male vs. female confrontation, something you don’t see in most other sports.
The pair came charging down the stretch locked in furious combat. The crowd was on its feet as the feisty filly and the brawny colt looked each other in the eye, neither budging an inch. One of the great battles in Triple Crown history was on.
Rags to Riches, left, and Curlin square off in one of the all-time great Belmont Stakes stretch battles.
There is an old saying that goes, “A woman is like a tea bag. It’s only when she’s in hot water that you realize how strong she is.” Curlin put Rags to Riches in scalding water down the Belmont stretch, but it was he who got burned.
Rags to Riches’ powerful four-wide move had enabled her to outrun Curlin and establish a slight advantage turning for home. Curlin fought back, as both horses switched to their right lead on cue. Velazquez threw a wide cross on the reins to gather the filly, while Robby Albarado went to his crop right-handed, causing Curlin to duck in, away from the filly. When Albarado switched to his left hand, Curlin came back out and bumped Rags to Riches. But the filly, who has been manhandling humans since she was a baby, was not about to be intimidated by the powerful chestnut. Albarado continued to go to his crop left-handed on Curlin, who again came out and bumped Rags to Riches, who again shrugged it off.
“There is an old saying that goes, “A woman is like a tea bag. It’s only when she’s in hot water that you realize how strong she is.”
Velazquez resorted to only a single left-handed tap, then switched his crop to his right hand, hitting her once. Her blood was up and Velazquez realized she needed little encouragement. Although Curlin kept digging in and battling back, Rags to Riches refused to relinquish her head advantage. As she eased in slightly and Curlin again came out into her, the two were leaning all over each other as the wire approached.
Most horses, especially fillies, would have been intimidated by the contact from a bruiser like Curlin, but Rags to Riches seemed to relish this test of superiority. Velazquez now was just waving the crop and leaving it all up to her. With sheer grit, determination, and tenacity, Rags to Riches kept her head advantage to the finish following a sizzling final quarter-mile in :23 4/5 and final half in a sensational :47 4/5.
Rags to Riches prevails by a head to become the first filly in 120 years to win the Belmont Stakes.
The ovation for Rags to Riches swelled to a glorious crescendo as Velazquez brought her up the stretch and saluted the crowd. “As a rule, we’re probably the ones everybody’s rooting against,” Pletcher said. “But this reception was unbelievable.” Velazquez said it gave him goosebumps.
The daughter of A.P. Indy out of Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister, had become the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont, joining Ruthless, who won the inaugural running in 1867, and Tanya, in 1905.
Throughout the grandstand, the so-called disciplined Pletcher machine unraveled in a burst of emotion during the stretch run. Burdened with an 0-for-28 record in Triple Crown races, Pletcher unleashed a flurry of eight short jabs into an invisible opponent, while urging on his filly: “Come on, baby; come on, baby,” he pleaded. As she crossed the finish line, he jumped up, flinging his fist in the air, and then kissed his wife Tracy, knocking her hat off.
Pletcher’s rush of adrenaline was able to briefly overpower the body aches and fever that had knocked him out for two days. Rags to Riches’ exercise rider, Lauren Robson, watched in a nearby box along with Cordero and Velazquez’ wife Leona and her family.
“There were drinks flying everywhere,” Robson said. “Leona was in tears right away and she put me in tears. It was so great because Todd and Johnny have been together for so long.”
Assistant trainer Seth Benzel, who had 90 horses at Saratoga, watched the race on TV at home. “I didn’t stop shaking until 1 o’clock last night,” he said the next morning. “When they came down the stretch, I was out of my seat riding her as hard as anybody. I couldn’t shake it off after the race and called my mom and dad. She is just so special. I can’t wait for her to get up here; we’ll have a regal stall waiting for her.”
Watching at Churchill Downs was Mike McCarthy, who had been with Rags to Riches for most of her career.
“I can’t even put into words what it was like watching her,” McCarthy said. “At the three-eighths pole I kept thinking this is really going to happen. And then at the quarter pole I thought, ‘This is it. This is what we’ve been working for.’ After it was over there was a feeling of closure. We had made history, and Todd finally had his classic. That meant a lot to us.”
Later on, Robson called McCarthy and Rags to Riches’ former exercise rider Justin Curran. “Oh, my God, we’ll never see a horse like this again,” she told Curran. “I wish you could have been here. You guys did such a good job with her; you brought her up from the start. I’ll give her a pat for you.”
How appropriate it was to have Rags to Riches get the albatross off Pletcher’s back. When his former boss and mentor, D. Wayne Lukas, was getting hammered by the media for being 0-for-12 in the Kentucky Derby, despite his unprecedented success in other races, it took a filly, Winning Colors, to break his losing streak. After that, the floodgates opened for Lukas, just as they would for Pletcher, who now has four Belmont victories and two Kentucky Derby victories.
Following the Belmont, Rags to Riches was out for three months, and when she returned in the Gazelle Stakes on September 15, she just didn’t have that same spark and was beaten a half-length by Lear’s Princess. It was announced the next day that X-rays revealed she had suffered a hairline fracture in her right front pastern. Although it was hoped she could return at 4 she never raced again,
I don’t know if Rags to Riches will ever make it into the Hall of Fame, but she sure left her mark on the record books. And one thing is certain: the history of the Belmont Stakes, and even the Triple Crown, cannot be told without her.
Title image by Lisa Palombo, photos courtesy of New York Racing Association/Adam Coglianese
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
Very much looking forward to the big 2YO races this Saturday. The entries in the Champagne include several colts I’ve got on my watch list, including:
It’s Our Time (17 length debut winner)
Talkin’ (won first out at SAR)
Stradale (2nd to Talkin at SAR)
As a bonus: Truman’s Commander, a recent breakout winner on turf, is in the Grade 2 Pilgrim on turf Friday.
Can’t wait to see the entries for the Breeders Futurity. The filly races look good too!
Locked…..has a slender build, I think he wants his races spaced….6 weeks should be perfect…..I was i.pressed—Aqueduct WAS very fast (filly went 1:14 2/5)….but Licked looked good, to me—better than Nevada Beack or Mystik Dan, but not better than Baeza, who is my Classic horse! Baeza got one more week—and has become stronger, mentally—kickback no longer a problem, and he lowers his head and reaches, now….of all of the contenders, and there are many….Barza has me attention, he traveled east 4 times, and now stays home….
Monomoy Girl’s first foal, Provenance (colt by Into Mischief), broke his maiden at Santa Anita on Saturday.
FIRST SERRANO race was a very good tune up race and should set him up perfectly for the BC Mile. Sadler will have him razor sharp for that race. Nevada Beach also a very strong race and will benefit greatly from it but he definitely will have his work cut out for him in the BCC. Positive for him as being a 3 year old he gets a weight break. Still would like to see Baffert enter Barnes in the BCC. But only if he gives instructions to the rider to bring him on as a “closer”.
Mystik Dan very nice win in the Lukas Classic. Question is were will he run? Tough decision for Mc Peek the Mile or Classic. Both tough races either way.
Loved Locked race yesterday but for him with such a small field it was more like a workout. Should set him up nicely for the BCC. Would have liked to have seen Mindframe in the Lukas Classic just do not like the long layoff between races as I do not feel he got alot from the JGC. Pletcher will have 3 for the JGC and is sitting with a strong hand for that race.
Nice strong workout for Journalism the other day. Did not expect it that fast this early before the big race… This is getting serious but I like it !!! Keep him sharp !!!
Nevada Beach is interesting. Full Serrano is very good, and NB took it to him. Watch the gallop out. The others are exhausted and pull up quickly; NB is about a furlong ahead around the turn. Could be the 2nd best 3yo.
Todd
Good observation on NB. He will benefit greatly from this race. But that strong gallup out after the race is a good sign of his stamina.
PETA should not be confused with the ASPCA. PETA wants to shut down horse racing, rodeos, and animal shows like Sea World. They have never condemned any act of eco-terrorism. PETA’s involvement with HISA is like Trump supporters being on the Democratic National Committee.
Nice strong ” workout” for LOCKED. today.
Just now getting around to reading this.
Little slow getting out of the gate lately.
I remember watching Rags to Riches in the Belmont and jumping for joy when she won.
Confident that R2R will be inducted into the HOF.
Giggled when I read the line about women and a teabag. Had a refrigerator magnet for many years with that same saying.
The comment about R2R’s long legs brought to mind how long Thorpedo Anna’s legs are. Has anyone else noticed that about her?
Chestnut mares are notorious for being strong-willed, unpredictable, fiery and opinionated. These characteristics contributed her to being exceptional on the race track. She was not going to let Curlin get by her!
Thank you for telling us about the other side of Todd.
If you live in the Carolinas, Georgia heads up on Hurricane Imelda. Models showing potential for inland flooding, high winds.
Have nice a weekend everyone.
David, Margie ran a huge 3rd – just missed 2nd- in the Beldame. She used the tactical speed she’d shown When trained by Walsh and pressed Randomized, setting it up for Gun Song. But I thought it was a brilliant ride….Margie hung in there, looked like she was done, then found a second wind and surged …just missing 2nd and galloping out in front of the others
She’s an amazingly consistent filly, & this was her best race
Big weekend for HAP
Hi Betsy, I saw the races, all good news, but haven’t much enthusiasm because I’ve picked up a rotten flu from the Canberra Conference. Too lethargic to even cheer. lol.
Oh no, I’m so sorry, David ! Get well soon!
Thanks Betsy.
Davids, take care of yourself and get well soon!
David, HAP has a star in the making in 2F Counting Stars! She won her debut at CD going 6 1/2 F, against a loaded field – and did it easily. She was slammed at the start, caught in traffic, then just went around and cleared the field
I’ve seen all her workouts – on Kentucky Workouts site- and it was obvious that she had immense talent. The only thing she had trouble with was breaking, and that wasn’t an issue today – until she was checked.
She’s big and strong, with a long, beautiful stride – and very athletic. Fast time, too, and her internal fractions were strong
The latest 6 month suspension for Paco Lopez is troubling. It seems that HISA has been infiltrated by PETA sympathizers who see an opportunity to make Paco their public whipping boy. My understanding is that he did not violate the terms of his probation, but they gave him 6 months anyway to teach some kind of lesson and chill other jockeys. I am not really anti PETA and hate all forms of animal abuse, but they have been given the proverbial inch, and they won’t stop.
I have to agree with you Todd that a six-month suspension for raising the whip does seem excessive. Indeed, HISA does appear to have been infiltrated by PETA, an organization that means well in protecting the safety of animals, however, has gone to extremes in calling for punishment that does not “fit the crime”.
Just the mention of the word PETA leaves a bad taste in my mouth as I recall their role in having the HBO series ‘LUCK’ cancelled. That show was a very well done production of horse racing characters (warts and all) that I’ve ever seen. It was really starting to gain a following and I was a devoted fan. Then, all of a sudden it was dropped thanks to the influence of the overzealous PETA.
Hopefully, Drew Mollica, Paco’s attorney, will be successful in his appeal of this egregious ruling.
Todd and Dewey, I agree with both of you. I am not a fan of Paco Lopez, I was appalled by what he did, and I thought his original punishment was rather light. But he paid the price, it was over, and it was time to move on. But then to hear that he was suddenly, with one day’s notice, handed a six-month suspension was unbelievable. Apparently concepts like double jeopardy and statutes of limitations mean nothing to HISA, and if a violation is so egregious that it merits a half year sentence, why under heavens would it take nine months to realize that? If anyone really thought that something that extreme was an appropriate penalty, they should have known in nine minutes. The fact that it took so long makes it obvious to me that there are other influences at work such as PETA and maybe others. I’ve been critical of HISA before–I think forcing jockeys to count whip strokes is beyond ridiculous and it may diminish safety because it is an unnecessary distraction. I now believe HISA is counterproductive–it does more harm than good and probably should be abolished.
Good point, Jiffy. I know that I’d be distracted if I had to count whip strokes during a race. Also, we must again be reminded that today’s whips are “softer” than those of yesteryear.
Perhaps you chaps should read Sue Finley’s article “Lazarus defends Lopez six-month suspension” in Saturdays Thoroughbred Daily Times.
If you continuously get caught drink driving what happens to you and your license…
Thoroughbred Daily News that is.
Great race and backstory, but i don’t think it’s enough for the HOF. Smarty was a deserving, but close, call, and i guess Flightline will probably get in, but i don’t think Rags did quite enough.
What a great piece, Steve. I personally think she deserves to be in the HOF. She had the heart which was there for all to see – not her fault that she never raced again. I have a few racing pictures on the wall of my office and that Belmont Stakes finish line shot is one of them. Rags has her neck extended showing she was not to be denied. It’s a great shot. Beautiful filly with a beautiful pedigree.
Steve,
Great article and you have made a compelling case I feel why she should be in the HOF. I hope the committee someday see that to be fit. I must say back then I did not know much about Rags to Riches but that win over Curlin and Hard Spun in the Belmont caught my attention. I hope she gets in.
On another note Brian Hernandez Jr the regular rider for Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna was injured ( broken ribs , punctured lung, lacerated liver ) pretty severely the other day in a fall at Churchill Downs. Let’s hope he can make a complete recovery as it sounds like he will be out several months.
Flavien Prat is set to ride Thorpedo Anna in the Spinster at Keeneland on Oct 5th. No jockey currently named to ride Mystik Dan in Lukas Classic.
It’s obvious why Rags is not yet in the Hall….she only ran a handful off stakes races.. but Smarty got in, and Flightline will get in, and that will open the door, for Rags—it took several decades, for Ancient Title….who won the Steub Series, Big Cap, Hollywood Gold Cup, Del Mar Invitational—yet they ended up putting him in, because he won The Whitney—no Whitney no Hall of Fame….She’ll get in….
I too have wondered why Rags To Riches is not in the Hall of Fame. She has been nominated many times. I believe if the committee would watch her Belmont race they would elect her. She is much deserving. My favorite Belmont. I love Rags To Riches. Loved your column Steve!
The committee just puts them on the ballot. They dont elect them.
Great story Steve. Absolutely Rags deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
I do not even think this should be a question.
Yes, Rags To Riches should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame. Your column on the Belmont when she won was maybe the best racing article I’ve ever read. I still have it in my documents on my computer. And I read it and quote it off and on.
I’m glad you all enjoyed reliving that amazing race. Thanks for your comments.
Rags to Riches is in “my” HOF, superb filly with a tremendous will to win. Thank you Steve for expanding our knowledge about this race and how it all came to be. Great writing, you put the reader back at Belmont park as these two champions came down the stretch with Tom Durkin yelling ” and its gonna be a filly in the Belmont ! “
When I saw Rags to Riches at Santa Anita I thought I was looking at an all time great filly in the making….stamina! With a strong move! And she mover on and up—
What a great story of an amazing filly battling the odds and a competent Colts in Curlin..thanks as always for your writing Steve you are a great writer and thoroughbred historians.
I remember rooting for her since she was the filly in the race! Such a great finish, and a race I still rewatch from time to time. It’s got to be one of my personal favorite Tom Durkin calls: “Rags to Riches has beaten Curlin and a hundred years of Belmont history, the first filly to win it in over a century!” Thanks for bringing the full story to us.
I don’t know whether Rags to Riches should be in the Hall of Fame, but man, Steve, you got some great quotes out of Pletcher. I’ve never heard of him being so gregarious, or so emotional. Good work!
From my perspective she should.
When I read those Pletcher quotes back I thought, Man, that was good.” So un Pletcher-like. I guess he was more open early on.
Maybe Rags and that Triple Crown victory got him to let his guard down!
Thank you, Steve, for telling us Rags’ story and taking us back to that incredible day. I missed seeing the race live and am still kicking myself all these years later.
One amazing stretch battle and you captured the emotions of a filly winning the Belmont so well. Hope she makes into the Hall.
I have goosebumps on my goosebumps! Love your story telling Steve! Thank you Leonard and Steve for using my art for a visual. 🙂
Lisa, I so enjoy looking at your art work.
I jumped up and down and screamed like a wild woman during that race. Just as I did for Ruffian, Rachel Alexandria, Zenyatta, Winning Colors, Personal Ensign, Lady’s Secret, Thorpedo Anna and all the rest. I am ALWAYS happy when a filly/mare wins, especially against the boys. Thanks Steve for reviving the great memories. Especially on a day when the community lost the incomparable Wooten Bassett.
I thought of Rags but I forgot that Pletcher wasn’t her trainer on record at first, great story.
What a great year that was Steve, As an alumnus of Wossamotta U the real Hall of Fame is in our Head and our Hearts!
David, if you’re still out there – devastating news …Wootton Bassetthas died 😭😭😭
Oh no! Such a brilliant sire, and at the peak of his career.
Just took a look at his pedigree. Wootton is inbred to SECRETARIAT in his fifth generation.
I just did as well – although his sire ran in Europe, & I’m guessing his dam did, he’s got a lot of American in him …Gone West, Mr. P., Secretariat, Chiefs Crown, Danzig, Northern Dancer…
Have to rush but follow the dam, family traces back to the influential Rockeby mare Key Bridge.
Yes, amazing pedigree !
Only 17!
I don’t know why I started to like him as I’ve never seen him race – I think I just loved his name. Then I saw him, and fell in love – I love black or dark bay/brown horses, especially if they’re plain. WB was stunning..
He had something called choke, then developed pneumonia
😭😭😭
Betsy, I’m still at a 2 week conference in Canberra which starts early and ends late. Just heartbreaking news, I wish they would restrict the dual hemisphere service to a once of. You see too many sires passing away in Australia after completing ridiculously high books in the Northern Hemisphere.
Hey David
The worst – such a magnificent looking horse, and sire 😭
I’m honestly shocked that they shuttled such a valuable animal …he had something called choke, then pneumonia, so I’m not sure this is about Australia….but he never should have gone
Yes, he was in Australia when he died, according to DRF. Choke happens when a horse aspirates food. Could have happened anywhere, but he should have been home in Ireland relaxing.
What a miserable way to die….poor Wootton Bassett 😭
Davids, although I tend to agree with you both about shuttling stallions, I do not think shuttling has any correlation to the death of WB.
Wootton-Bassett had an obstruction in his esophagus and the feed and other contents were aspirated into his lungs which resulted in pneumonia.
This obstruction could have been feed, hay, a foreign object, the result of an issue with his teeth or some other factor such as a tumor.
Most chokes resolve on their own however veternarian care is often required. My Vet of almost 30 years told me that most chokes are the result of feed and not hay or pasture. Some horses “wolf down” their feed which makes them prone to choke. If the feed is pellets, beet pulp or is not soaked that increases the possibility of a choke.
You might recall the colt by War Front that Zenyatta lost just a couple of days after his birth. The foal inhaled fecal material in utero which resulted in fatal pneumonia.
Choke is very frightening to horses just as it is to humans. My rescue donkey had several episodes of choke. Fortunately two resolved, one was bad enough to call my vet. He immediately gave her an injection of Rompun which relaxed her esophagus and the obstruction cleared.
Depending on the location in the esophagus, the size of the obstruction and the amount of time the horse has been in distress the treatment options have varying results.
I read that while he was standing in France, WB was ridden regularly. Stand to be corrected of course but I do not think Coolmore rides their stallions, just daily walking exercise on the lead line.
This is a tremendous loss not only for Coolmore but the sport as well. He was fast becoming one of the top stallions in Europe including England and Ireland. Definitely improved the mare as they say in breeding circles.
Was not aware until I read his biography that he raced against Frankel.
WB was just a stunningly beautiful Thoroughbred and was described as being kind, gentle and well mannered.
Condolences to all the connections.
Very interesting information, Lynda. Thank you for sharing it. I too was saddened to hear of Wootten Bassett’s passing–a huge loss to racing and breeding everywhere.
Steve, what a brilliant article ! That Belmont is the greatest race I’ve ever seen – it still gives me chills.
I’ll be honest – I don’t have any respect for the HoF voters given that they have never voted in Gulch. So, I doubt Rags will ever get in – though she deserves to, and so does Bernardini.
Wonderful story on Rags. Mr. Haskin, it’s my hope she makes it to HOF.
me too!