Contender Status
Can a filly win the Belmont Stakes (G1) and break trainer Todd Pletcher's 0 for 28 record in Triple Crown races?
A lot of people think that this particular filly just might fill the bill.
A total of 21 fillies have run in the Belmont, but the only winners were Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. The last filly to try it was Silverbulletday, who finished seventh in 1999.
Rags to Riches would come into the Belmont with a four race winning streak, the last three in Grade 1 races against her own sex. But her dominance makes a matchup against males an intriguing proposition.
Pletcher toyed with the idea of sending her to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby (G1), but with five other horses already coming out of his barn, throwing the filly into that particular mix didn't seem like such a good idea. Plus, Pletcher didn't feel she was quite ready for that sort of challenge at that time.
The 1 1/2-mile distance is not an issue. Rags to Riches brings one of the most impressive pedigrees to the table you will ever find, including a heritage of three Belmont winners: A.P. Indy, Seattle Slew, and Jazil.
Thoroughbred Times Bloodstock/Sales Editor John P. Sparkman summed it up quite well recently when he wrote:
"As one of the best-bred fillies in the stud book, it is no surprise that the Rags to Riches pedigree is a catalog of the very best elements available in modern international Thoroughbred genealogies."
May 21 - Four furlongs breezing in :48.24 at Belmont Park.
May 27 - Five furlongs breezing in 1:00.64 at Belmont Park.
June 3 - Five furlongs breezing in 1:03.84 at Belmont Park.
"She'll probably stick with the girls, but at the end of the day, you never know," part-owner Michael Tabor said about post-Santa Anita Oaks plans. "But she is nominated to the Triple Crown."
Trainer Todd Pletcher, talking about Rags to Riches:
"She's a lovely filly, push-button to train, one of those special ones you get every so often."