Rags To Riches makes it lady’s day at the Belmont

She began a mile-and-a-half journey in the 139th Belmont Stakes on her knees in the first stride and staring at 102 years of history.

Jockey John Velazquez pulled hard at the reins. “My heart stopped,” he said.

Then, fortune turned around.

A stumbling start, a half a dozen colts, a painfully slow pace and more than a century of male dominance of the Belmont would not stop this filly, not on this day.

A mile and a quarter later, Rags To Riches had swept boldly past five of her male opponents while four wide entering the Belmont Park stretch and had the heavily favored Preakness winner, Curlin, by the throat. She would not let go.

Curlin, his courage established in a bitter battle with Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the Preakness three weeks ago, fought as valiantly Saturday as horses fight, but Rags To Riches, once she seized a narrow advantage, gave no quarter.

The most hard-bitten horseplayers in the world cheered the filly at every stride, and her wildly successful trainer, long denied in the Triple Crown series, pumped a fist at the sky and yelled, “Come on, baby.”

Shoulder to shoulder and eye to eye, Rags To Riches and Curlin ran the last quarter-mile of the Belmont in less than 24 seconds, a furious finish in a race of this length, and at the wire, having covered 12 furlongs in 2:28.74, the filly was a breathless head in front.

“I was where I wanted to be the whole race,” said Robby Albarado, who rode Curlin. “I got through on the inside at the quarter pole, which was perfect, and I got a chance to get a breather. They came home fast, and he never stopped. I thought at one point, he could come back and get her, but she’s tough. She’s an amazing filly.”

Only two fillies before Rags To Riches had won the Belmont -- Ruthless in 1867, and Tanya in 1905 -- but it is difficult to imagine that they overcame more. She righted herself quickly after the stumbling start, raced wide into the first turn and remained wide upon arrival at the second bend.

After six furlongs in 1:15.32 and a mile in 1:40.23, Curlin was fourth and Rags To Riches fifth. From there, the point at which they both launched their late runs, the Belmont came down to the filly who had won the Kentucky Oaks on the eve of the Derby vs. the Preakness winner.

“It’s a special feeling no matter when you do it,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, whose first 28 starters in Triple Crown races had lost and who reached a decision to start Rags To Riches in the Belmont only four days before the race. “But when you do it with a filly for the first time in 102 years, it’s really special. This is pretty special when you look at the historical perspective. You look at the statistics all week. You know that no filly has won it in 102 years.”

Velazquez had been 0 for 20 in Triple Crown races.

Others emerged frustrated from the Belmont, notably Larry Jones, who trains Hard Spun, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby after setting a suicidal pace, third in the Preakness and fourth Saturday with Garrett Gomez riding while never involved in the pace.

“The pace was very slow. I thought that was our game plan leaving the paddock: to have these kind of fractions but be in front doing it,” Jones lamented. “Apparently, we had a miscommunication somewhere.”

The Belmont might well not be the last time Rags To Riches faces the opposite sex.

“We may show up [against females] in the Coaching Club and Alabama,” Pletcher said, “or we may show up in the Haskell or Travers.”

Said co-owner Michael Tabor: “We’ll take on the boys whenever we feel it’s appropriate.”

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Better Talk Now rallied to win the $400,000 Manhattan Handicap by a head in the richest race on the Belmont Stakes undercard. The winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Turf, trained by Graham Motion, ran the 1 1/4 miles on the firm course in 2:02.39.... Pletcher won the $250,000 Acorn Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with Cotton Blossom.... Teuflesberg, 17th in the Kentucky Derby, rebounded to win the $250,000 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-olds.... Will He Shine took advantage of a horrible trip for even-money favorite Bordonaro to pull off a 10-1 upset in the $200,000 True North Handicap.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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HOW THE RACE WAS RUN

* RAGS TO RICHES -- Stumbled at the start, moved up from the outside and was carried out a bit leaving the first turn, settled just outside the leaders while six wide along the backstretch, raced in hand while continuing wide to the far turn, launched her bid midway on the turn, surged to the front, approaching the quarter pole, dug in when challenged again by CURLIN in the midstretch, fought gamely while heads apart into deep stretch and prevailed under right hand urging in the final 20 yards.

* CURLIN -- Was taken in hand soon after the start, settled in good position while saving ground leaving the first turn, came out slightly between horses entering the backstretch, was rated in good position through the opening mile, saved ground on the far turn, waited patiently behind horses midway on the turn, split rivals to launch his bid nearing the quarter pole, fought heads apart entering the stretch, drifted in under right hand urging at the three-sixteenths pole, fought back bravely to threaten the winner a furlong out then exchanged mild bumps with that rival while yielding grudgingly in the late stages.

* TIAGO -- Hit the side of the gate and broke inward bumping with IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY at the start, was unhurried in the early stages, checked slightly when CURLIN came out entering the backstretch, raced within striking distance slightly off the rail to the far turn, checked slightly in traffic midway on the turn, came in a bit while rallying at the top of the stretch, then finished willingly while no match for the top pair.

* HARD SPUN -- Raced erratically while fighting his rider and tucking in a bit in the early stages, drifted out on the first turn, stalked the leaders five wide along the backstretch, continued wide while lodging a mild bid to threaten approaching the quarter pole, then tired through the final quarter of a mile.

* C P WEST -- Drifted out a bit in the early stages, moved up to gain the early advantage, set the pace well off the rail along the backstretch, set the pace in hand to the turn and steadily tired thereafter.

* IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY -- Bumped at the start, trailed for most of the trip while saving ground.

* SLEW’S TIZZY -- Pressed the pace four wide to the final turn and gave way.

Associated Press