Favorites were
falling by the wayside as the stakes-studded program progressed.
Bordanaro, the public choice in the Grade II True North (six furlongs),
had a wide and trouble-filled trip. Will He Shine landed a price.
The Grade II Just A Game was won by
My Typhoon who went start to finish in the one mile (turf) event. Wait A
While, the odds on favorite, raced second and had no response when
asked.
The Grade II Woody Stephens Breeders' Cup over seven furlongs provided
another upset result. Teuflesberg, at 8 to 1, won decisively.
Then came the Grade I Acorn over a mile for sophomore fillies. Dream Rush was the rage. Dream Rush set the pace and was coasting in the lane as Cotton Blossom came calling inside the final furlong. Cotton Blossom was cutting down Dream Rush's advantage to manageable proportions. As the leg-weary Dream Rush could offer no more, John Velasquez gained the lead with Cotton Blossom to give trainer Todd Pletcher a perfect dress rehearsal for the Belmont Stakes, two races away.
The Grade I Manhattan (10 furlongs on turf) went to Better Talk Now. Saving ground and in the rear, for the most part, Better Talk Now, winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2004, rallied determinedly in the stretch and made the most of an opening in the last 50 yards to get the verdict over English Channel, the favorite. Ramon Dominguez gave the winner a great ride.
The loudest cheer was given to Rags To Riches as the horses came on to the track. Emotion was one thing but the fans would not look beyond Curlin. Dropping from 7 to 5 to 6 to 5 with five minutes to go, Curlin took another drop to even money as post time approached. Rags To Riches was at 4 to 1.
A stumble at the start must have caused an anxious moment or two for the supporters of Rags To Riches. John Velasquez steadied the filly and moved into fifth as the field negotiated the first turn. CP West and Slew's Tizzy disputed the lead. Hard Spun, only a length or so away, was third. Curlin, set on a ground-saving mission, was fourth. Rags To Riches was outside of Curlin and it was clear what John Velasquez's strategy was. He wanted, after the early miscue, to avoid further trouble. Staying outside was the only option. The fractions were slow. The first quarter came in 24.7. The first four furlongs came in 501. "It's a crawl," said Tom Durkin, the announcer. The positions were unchanged as the field raced down the long Belmont backstretch. The field approached the last turn and Rags To Riches was moving three and four-wide. Slew's Tizzy had thrown in the towel. CP West was finding it difficult to keep up. Hard Spun moved on with Rags To Riches. Curlin found room as Slew's Tizzy fell back. Robbie Albarado made his move with three furlongs left. At the quarter pole, Hard Spun was spent. Rags To Riches, on the outside and Curlin, on the inside, were locked in a 'battle of the sexes.' Rags To Riches was gaining the upper hand but Curlin was not giving up. Jockey John Velasquez was whipping left-handed and switched to the right in the shadow of the wire. They went past the post locked together and a photo was called but it was clear that Rags To Riches had become the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years.
"A better horse won. I give all credit to Todd Pletcher. Curlin ran his race. Robbie (Albarado) rode a good race. We have had a great campaign," Steve Asmussen, Curlin's trainer said.
Michael Tabor, one of the winning owners, stated, "it's a fantastic feat. It was Todd's (Pletcher) decision to run her here."
Derrick Smith, another owner, was full of praise for Todd Pletcher and John Velasquez. "We have a great trainer and a great jockey. We knew all along that the filly will get twelve furlongs. Alabama Stakes at Saratoga may be our next target."
"It's a special feeling. All credit goes to the filly. The early stumble gave a bad feeling. She can gallop all day. We are fortunate to get it done," Todd Pletcher said.
A beaming John Velasquez had this to say, "she gives 100% every time. After the stumble, I wanted to keep her in the clear. She is a fighter. Unfortunately, Garrett Gomez was committed to Hard Spun. Credit goes to him too."
It was John Velasquez's first Belmont win. This was his 11th Belmont ride. For Todd Pletcher, it was the first Triple Crown win in 29 attempts.
The winning margin was a head. Tiago took third and was 5 1/2 lengths away. The time for the trip (1 1/2 miles) was 2 28.74. The winner's share of the purse was $600,000.
Rags To Riches paid $10.60 on a $2.00 win ticket. She is by A P Indy who won the Belmont in 1992. Better Than Honour, the dam of Rags To Riches, was also the dam of Jazil, the 2006 Belmont champion. Tanya, a filly, won the Belmont Stakes in 1905.
A crowd in excess of 60,000 was on hand. Whatever expectations the fans had going in, they came out with one unmistakable conclusion. As Chris Fowler of ABC Sports put it, "girl power had carried the day."
