A Belmont for the History Books

This year's Belmont Stakes was the overlooked race. The Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, bowed out, and the race lacked a "hook" since the Derby and Preakness winners would not be competing to see who the best 3 year-old colt of the Triple Crown trail would be. Then Todd Pletcher introduced the idea of his filly, Rags to Riches, the Kentucky Oaks winner, running, and a possible hook was found.

Still, doubts remained. Was the filly really that good? She'd been beating up on a fairly lackluster group of fillies. It was probably a given that she was the best filly of this crop (at least at this point), but did that mean she was good enough to race with this group of colts? Could she compete with Curlin, the Preakness winner? Was she speedy enough to run with Hard Spun, who'd proven he had the turn of foot to race with the best?

And then there were the doubts about the colts. Curlin had had a grueling campaign this year, and had no foundation as a 2 year-old. Could he continue to hold up under the strain of this caliber of race, or would he regress and would another contender rise to the occasion?

Hard Spun was a speedy colt, and he appeared to have decent breeding for the distance, but did he really have the stamina? Would he really be able to run the mile and a half distance at the kind of speed he'd shown in the Derby and not finish up the track?

Tiago definitely had the breeding, since his half-brother Giacomo had won the Derby, but did he have the seasoning? His race record was light, especially compared to some of the others.

Imawildandcrazyguy's trainer said that he could run all day, and they'd been pointing him to this race- and he did have a 4th place finish in the Derby, where he galloped out strongly. But would there be a fast enough pace early for him to run at?

C P West and Slew's Tizzy are certainly quality colts, but did they belong with the cream of the crop? Were they really fast enough to run with Hard Spun early and still be around at the end to take on Curlin?

The "girl against the boys" angle, it was decided, wasn't really what the race was about, and the race just floated. No one seemed to care. No one, of course, but those who love horse racing, those who were wondering if Rags to Riches could buck history, and become the first filly in over 100 years to win the race, or if Curlin was another Point Given or Afleet Alex who could sweep the 2nd and 3rd legs of the Triple Crown. We waited and watched, and hung on every word.

And so, when race day dawned, a bright day, clear with a fast track, we waited impatiently. Other races came and went. Finally, the six colts and lone filly loaded into the gate, and then burst into the track, racing for their lives. The pace was slow, and the dead closer, Imawildandcrazyguy, was out of the race nearly from the beginning. Rags to Riches stumbled at the start, but recovered quickly, and moved up to follow the leaders. C P West and Slew's Tizzy set the early pace, but they crawled along at a half in over 50 seconds. Hard Spun raced erratically, being choked in a hold, not allowed to race in his usual manner, and tired by the 3/4 pole. Turning for home, Tiago followed Curlin, who went to the inside and Rags to Riches, who went to the outside of him, and those two matched strides.

Driving down the home stretch, they were noses apart, each staring the other in the eye, glaring, neither giving quarter. Just before the wire, Rags to Riches got her nose in front and won driving.

She made history, becoming the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont (the last was Tanya in 1905), and the first ever to win it at a mile and a half. Curlin, the Preakness winner was 2nd, and Tiago was 3rd. (The rest of the field was Hard Spun, C P West, Imawildandcrazyguy, and Slew's Tizzy.) She is trainer Todd Pletcher's first Triple Crown victory in 29 attempts. Ironically, his mentor, D Wayne Lukas, also won his first Triple Crown victory with a filly. (Lukas's was filly Winning Colors in the 1988 Kentucky Derby.)

She also gave her jockey, Johnny Velasquez, his first Belmont victory.

Her next start is undecided, but her trainer says she may take on the boys in the Haskell or the Travers. If she were to go into the Travers, she could face Street Sense, the Derby winner. That would be a match made in heaven for racing fans like myself.