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Rags to Riches (horse)
Encyclopedia
Rags to Riches is an American
thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
who in 2007 became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes
in over a century. She was sired by 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year
and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee A.P. Indy
, who in turn was a son of 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew
and, on his dam's side, a grandson of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat
. She was out of the mare
Better Than Honour
who is a daughter of Canadian Hall of Fame
inductee and two-time North American Champion sire
, Deputy Minister
. Better Than Honour also produced the 2006 Belmont Stakes
winner, Jazil
.
Bred by Skara Glen Stables
, Rags to Riches was purchased for US$1.9 million in September 2005 at the Keeneland Sales
by the partnership of Michael Tabor
& Derrick Smith. Sent to the track at age two under trainer Todd Pletcher
, her first race was a 4½ furlong
sprint. She finished fourth, demonstrating that she needed longer distances to get up to speed.
Not brought back to competition until January 2007, Rags to Riches won her first race at Santa Anita Park
by six lengths. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, in February she won the 8 furlong
Las Virgenes Stakes
despite being forced to run five wide for a good part of the race. In March she showed an explosive finishing kick to run away and win by 5½ lengths in the 1 mile Grade I
Santa Anita Oaks
. Made the betting
favorite for the prestigious Grade I Kentucky Oaks
at Churchill Downs
, she did not disappoint. Once again, Rags to Riches showed a powerful stretch drive in her 4¼ length win, easily pulling away from a field that included the 2006 U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Filly
and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
winner, Dreaming of Anna
.
. It was to be her first start against males.
In the race, Rags to Riches stumbled out of the starting gate but recovered to move within easy striking distance of the pacesetters. At the top of the stretch, she and three other horses made a move but quickly she was dueling head-to-head with Preakness Stakes
and Horse of the Year
winner Curlin. Curlin put his nose in front briefly, but the filly fought back and beat him to the finish line by a head. Rags to Riches' win made her only the third filly to ever win the Belmont and the first since Tanya
claimed victory 102 years earlier in 1905, and the first filly to win the race at the current 1½ mile distance at Belmont Park
(The race distance has varied: from 1867 until 1873, it was 1⅝ miles (2.6 km). In 1874 the distance was reduced to 1½ miles (2.4 km), and from 1890 to 1892, and in 1895, the distance was 1¼ miles (2 km). From 1896 until 1925, the distance was increased to 1 3/8 miles (2.3 km). In 1926, the race distance was set at the present 1½ miles (2.4 km)).Tanya's win came 38 years after Ruthless
captured the inaugural running of the Belmont in 1867.
The call of the race by Belmont Park track announcer Tom Durkin did much to capture the excitement of the scene, as Curlin and Rags to Riches dueled it out in the home stretch.
Despite several minor medical problems over the summer, Rags to Riches continued to train at Belmont Park
towards the 2007 Breeder's Cup. She made her return to the races in the $250,000 Gazelle Stakes at Belmont Park on September 15 but finished second to Lear's Princess. It was announced the next day, September 16, that X-rays had revealed a hairline fracture
in her right front pastern
, and that her trainer Todd Pletcher
had taken her out of training. She was expected to make a full recovery and return to racing in 2008.
She received several honors at the end of her three-year-old season. Among voters, Rags to Riches was a Teen Choice Award
nominee for Choice Female Athlete http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/03/teen-choice-nominees-announced in 2007. She was also named 2007 World Champion 3-year-old filly
by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
She was sent to broodmare duty at Ashford Stud
in Versailles, Kentucky
and on March 9, 2009 gave birth to her first foal, a filly by Giant's Causeway
, named Riches Causeway. She was then bred to Henrythenavigator
and on March 17, 2010, foaled a colt. She foaled a colt by Galileo
in Ireland in 2011 and has been bred back to Galileo.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who in 2007 became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
in over a century. She was sired by 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy is a champion stallion Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky, USA, by William Farish III and William Kilroy. He is known for his ancestry, his own record, and his successful progeny. He was sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew through mare Weekend Surprise, who herself was sired...
, who in turn was a son of 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
and, on his dam's side, a grandson of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
. She was out of the mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Better Than Honour
Better Than Honour
Better Than Honour is an American thoroughbred mare racehorse, best known for her career as a broodmare. She is out of the Kentucky Oaks winner, Blush With Pride, by the sire, Deputy Minister...
who is a daughter of Canadian Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
inductee and two-time North American Champion sire
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister (horse)
Deputy Minister was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred horse racing Champion. At age two, he won eight out of his nine starts and was voted the 1981 Sovereign and Eclipse Award winner as North American Champion 2-Yr-Old, and was also voted Canada's Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year...
. Better Than Honour also produced the 2006 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner, Jazil
Jazil
Jazil is an American Thoroughbred racehorse.In 2006, Jazil dead-heated for fourth place in the Kentucky Derby but then won the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown.- Connections :...
.
Bred by Skara Glen Stables
Skara Glen Stables
Skara Glen Stables is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Pennsylvania owned by Stanley and Marcia Gumberg and family. A small farm situated in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, it was named for the Skara islands north of Scotland....
, Rags to Riches was purchased for US$1.9 million in September 2005 at the Keeneland Sales
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
by the partnership of Michael Tabor
Michael Tabor
Michael B. Tabor is a businessman and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Thoroughbred racing career:...
& Derrick Smith. Sent to the track at age two under trainer Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher is a leading American thoroughbred horse trainer. He has won four consecutive Eclipse Awards as outstanding Trainer of the Year, while topping the leader board in purse earnings in 2004, 2005, and 2006. His horse Super Saver won the 2010 Kentucky Derby, the first of his 24 horses...
, her first race was a 4½ furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
sprint. She finished fourth, demonstrating that she needed longer distances to get up to speed.
Not brought back to competition until January 2007, Rags to Riches won her first race at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
by six lengths. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, in February she won the 8 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
Las Virgenes Stakes
Las Virgenes Stakes
The Las Virgenes Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event run at a distance of one mile on dirt, it is open to three-year-old fillies and currently offers a purse of $250,000.-Records:Speed record:*...
despite being forced to run five wide for a good part of the race. In March she showed an explosive finishing kick to run away and win by 5½ lengths in the 1 mile Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Santa Anita Oaks
Santa Anita Oaks
Santa Anita Oaks is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies willing to race 8.5 furlongs on the dirt, it currently offers a purse of $300,000.Inaugurated in 1935 as a race for two-year-olds,...
. Made the betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
favorite for the prestigious Grade I Kentucky Oaks
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, she did not disappoint. Once again, Rags to Riches showed a powerful stretch drive in her 4¼ length win, easily pulling away from a field that included the 2006 U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Filly
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Filly
The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
winner, Dreaming of Anna
Dreaming of Anna
Dreaming of Anna is an American thoroughbred filly racehorse. She was sired by the outstanding English and American stud, Rahy out of the Broad Brush mare, Justenuffheart, who was a multi graded stakes race winner and half-sister to Grade I Turf winner Kitten's Joy. Although there is no Northern...
.
Belmont Stakes
On June 5, 2007, the handlers for Rags to Riches announced she would run in the third and longest leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, the Belmont StakesBelmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
. It was to be her first start against males.
In the race, Rags to Riches stumbled out of the starting gate but recovered to move within easy striking distance of the pacesetters. At the top of the stretch, she and three other horses made a move but quickly she was dueling head-to-head with Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
winner Curlin. Curlin put his nose in front briefly, but the filly fought back and beat him to the finish line by a head. Rags to Riches' win made her only the third filly to ever win the Belmont and the first since Tanya
Tanya (horse)
Tanya was an American thoroughbred filly racehorse bred and raised in Kentucky. She was bred by William Collins Whitney and foaled at his Brookdale Farm in Lincroft, New Jersey. Sired by the outstanding English stallion Meddler, she was out of the mare Handspun.Unfortunately, before Tanya could...
claimed victory 102 years earlier in 1905, and the first filly to win the race at the current 1½ mile distance at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
(The race distance has varied: from 1867 until 1873, it was 1⅝ miles (2.6 km). In 1874 the distance was reduced to 1½ miles (2.4 km), and from 1890 to 1892, and in 1895, the distance was 1¼ miles (2 km). From 1896 until 1925, the distance was increased to 1 3/8 miles (2.3 km). In 1926, the race distance was set at the present 1½ miles (2.4 km)).Tanya's win came 38 years after Ruthless
Ruthless (horse)
Ruthless was an American Thoroughbred filly and a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inducted racehorse.-Early life:Owned and bred by Francis Morris of New York, and was foaled on Morris' farm at Throgg's Neck, New York...
captured the inaugural running of the Belmont in 1867.
The call of the race by Belmont Park track announcer Tom Durkin did much to capture the excitement of the scene, as Curlin and Rags to Riches dueled it out in the home stretch.
"Here comes Hard Spun. And Curlin is coming through in between horses! And Rags to Riches is coming with a four-wide sweep! And Tiago is in behind them. And at the top of the stretch, a filly is in front at the Belmont! But Curlin is right there with her! These two, in a battle of the sexes at the Belmont Stakes! It is Curlin on the inside -- Rags to Riches on the outside. A desperate finish: Rags to Riches and Curlin! They're coming down to the wire. It's gonna be very close! And it's gonna be.... a filly in the Belmont! Rags to Riches has beaten Curlin and a hundred years of Belmont history! The first filly to win it in over a century!"
2007 season
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
towards the 2007 Breeder's Cup. She made her return to the races in the $250,000 Gazelle Stakes at Belmont Park on September 15 but finished second to Lear's Princess. It was announced the next day, September 16, that X-rays had revealed a hairline fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
in her right front pastern
Pastern
The pastern is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the long pastern bone and the short pastern bone , which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to form the pastern joint...
, and that her trainer Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher is a leading American thoroughbred horse trainer. He has won four consecutive Eclipse Awards as outstanding Trainer of the Year, while topping the leader board in purse earnings in 2004, 2005, and 2006. His horse Super Saver won the 2010 Kentucky Derby, the first of his 24 horses...
had taken her out of training. She was expected to make a full recovery and return to racing in 2008.
She received several honors at the end of her three-year-old season. Among voters, Rags to Riches was a Teen Choice Award
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
nominee for Choice Female Athlete http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/03/teen-choice-nominees-announced in 2007. She was also named 2007 World Champion 3-year-old filly
World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings
The World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings are compiled by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities , an organization established in 2003 with headquarters in Paris, France made up of members from around the world....
by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
2008 Season and Retirement and Breedings
Rags to Riches resumed training at age 4. Then on Monday, March 24, 2008, Todd Pletcher announced that Rags to Riches had re-injured her right front pastern and was retiring. Rags to Riches' brief but brilliant racing career resulted in five wins in seven starts and $1.3 million in earnings.She was sent to broodmare duty at Ashford Stud
Ashford Stud
Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky is the American arm of the international commercial Thoroughbred horse breeding operation Coolmore Stud of County Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland.Twelve stallions will stand at Ashford Stud in 2011....
in Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
and on March 9, 2009 gave birth to her first foal, a filly by Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe. In 2000, he won five straight Group One races. His performance that year earned him European Horse of the Year honors....
, named Riches Causeway. She was then bred to Henrythenavigator
Henrythenavigator
Henrythenavigator is an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2,000 Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St...
and on March 17, 2010, foaled a colt. She foaled a colt by Galileo
Galileo (horse)
Galileo is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is best known for winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001 and for his rivalry with the Godolphin champion Fantastic Light...
in Ireland in 2011 and has been bred back to Galileo.