Belmont They Said It 6-9

Last updated: 6/9/07 11:39 PM

BELMONT THEY SAID IT JUNE 9, 2007 <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" align="right" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tr><td align="right" style="Border:black 1px solid;"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/brisnet-content/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/15153314/ragstoriches6-9mjm2.jpg" width="300"/></td></tr><tr><td align="right"> Rags to Riches (outside) in her historic victory over Curlin (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)</td> </tr></table>"This is pretty special when you look at the historical perspective. Boy, if you look at the statistics all week, no filly's won it in 102 years. That's pretty intimidating stuff." trainer Todd Pletcher on RAGS TO RICHES (A.P. Indy) becoming just the third filly in history to win the Belmont S. (G1) "This race is a test of endurance. There was never a doubt in my mind she would get the mile and a half. Whether or not, as a filly, she was good enough to do it against quality horses like Curlin, Hard Spun, that was the million dollar question." Pletcher on Rags to Riches getting the Belmont distance of 1 1/2 miles "After we made the decision to run the filly, the reaction from the racing community was very enthusiastic. If nothing else, it was great for racing, great for the day. Obviously, the end result, it was great for the filly." Pletcher "Well, obviously, Ron Anderson is a very good agent. He asked me that question before the race. I told him it's going to be awfully hard for me to take Johnny (Velazquez) off if this filly wins. It's very unfortunate for Garrett. I feel badly for him, for (his agent) Ron Anderson. They were presented with a difficult decision two weeks ago. Hard Spun's connections wanted commitment. He's obviously a horse that looks like he was going to be one of the choices for the race." Pletcher on whether or not Rags to Riches' regular rider Garrett Gomez would get the mount back aboard the filly </td> </tr></table>"Like a lot of the good fillies I've been around, you wouldn't want to mess with her a whole lot. She's a little bit bossy, too. That's what makes her good." Pletcher on Rags to Riches' temperament <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" align="left" cellspacing="0" width="325"><tr><td align="right" style="Border:black 1px solid;"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/brisnet-content/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/15153315/ragstoriches6-9cp.jpg" width="325"/></td></tr><tr><td align="right"> Rags to Riches proved unbeatable in her first real test (Charles Pravata/Horsephotos.com)</td> </tr></table>"It's very simple really. If you have a trainer, I always adopted the attitude the final decision has to be made by the trainer. When Todd was very happy about how he felt about her, and he made the decision that we would give it a go, we were, obviously, in full agreement." co-owner Michael Tabor on the decision by him and fellow owner Derrick Smith to run Rags to Riches in the Belmont against the boys "I would say it's more than possible. I haven't discussed it. Obviously, there are some filly races like the Alabama (G1) I suppose we would like to win." Tabor on Rags to Riches facing the boys again in the future "For me, I just have so much confidence in this filly that I always thought she could do it. Take nothing away from Curlin, who is a very special animal, but I always felt that she was just that much better than anything." Tabor "As soon as she stumbled out of there, my heart stopped. First thing you think, hopefully she doesn't get hurt, pull a shoe, something. First thing that comes to your mind, please don't get hurt. Second going through my head was don't pull a shoe off. Right after that I thought, good thing it was a mile and a half (race). " jockey John Velazquez on Rags to Riches stumbling and going to her knees at the start of the Belmont </td> </tr></table>"Only thing she did, with so many of the press by the wire, she saw them and kind of slowed down a little bit. When she felt Curlin again, she came right back on it. She put up a good fight." Velazquez <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" align="right" cellspacing="0" width="325"><tr><td align="right" style="Border:black 1px solid;"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/brisnet-content/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/15153315/ragstoriches6-9ljp.jpg" width="325"/></td></tr><tr><td align="right"> Curlin (inside) was one of only two horses to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)</td> </tr></table>"I thought Curlin ran extremely well. They came into the stretch pretty much heads-up. He fought back very well. My hat is off to Rags to Riches. They ran the last quarter in :23 4/5 in a mile and a half race and she's a deserving classic winner." trainer Steve Asmussen on his charge CURLIN (Smart Strike) getting beaten a head by Rags to Riches in the Belmont "Curlin is definitely a throw-back. The races that he's run since March with the pressure that's been on him, I can't say enough about him." Asmussen on Curlin, who captured his stakes debut in March and competed well in all three legs of the Triple Crown "We've seen (Rags to Riches') races and felt she won with something left every time. I don't think she had anything left today. It's a very similar feeling between Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]) and Curlin. You can tell when horses are trying and I'm impressed and admire their effort." Asmussen "(Curlin) put in his race. He ran his race and I was pleased with his effort. He didn't stop at any point. He felt like he wanted to come back and win the race. I can't come up with an excuse." jockey Robby Albarado on his ride aboard Curlin </td> </tr></table>"(Rags to Riches) is phenomenal. Because, I will tell you, we were running the last part. We were finishing the last part of it. For 1 1/2 miles, to be finishing this way (was impressive). I felt like he was running. " Albarado on the battle between Curlin and Rags to Riches in the stretch of the Belmont <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" align="left" cellspacing="0" width="150"><tr><td align="right" style="Border:black 1px solid;"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/brisnet-content/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/15153316/ragstoriches6-9jt2.jpg" width="150"/></td></tr><tr><td align="right"> Curlin splitting horses heading into the Belmont stretch (Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com)</td> </tr></table>"We were very happy to hit the board in the race. I talked to Mike (Smith) after the race and he said that the first two got a good jump on him and opened up real quick. We were very pleased with the effort. If you know anything about Pleasant Taps, they don't start getting good until their four-year-old year. This was a big step for him. He demonstrated that he had the class, and with physical talent and maturity, he is just going to get better." —trainer John Shirreffs on TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) running third in the Belmont "Everything seems OK, he's just a little tired. There's nothing we can do but lick our wounds and see what happens later down the road." conditioner Larry Jones on Belmont fourth-place finisher HARD SPUN (Danzig) "At the half-mile pole, I felt I was in a great spot. At the three-eighths pole, I thought I was money. When it was time for sprinting, he just didn't have the turn of foot the other two or three had. He ran a good race." —jockey Garrett Gomez on Hard Spun's run in the Belmont "I am very proud of the filly. I've been very proud of her all year. She's improving leaps and bounds to get up in a race like this. She's just a magnificent filly and I am very happy to be part of some of her wins." —Gomez, who has been the regular rider of Rags to Riches all year, on the filly winning the Belmont </td> </tr></table>"She is an unbelievable horse. She is a great filly. It was a tremendous race." trainer Nick Zito, who saddled C P WEST (Came Home) to a fifth-place finish in the Belmont "No one wanted to go for the lead, so I asked myself, 'Why not?' I sent him and he went up there pretty easily. He was comfortable being there going down the backstretch, and in the end, we were outrun by the other horses." jockey Edgar Prado on sending C P West to the lead "I said all along, 'If they go over :48 and change, we're in trouble.' I really thought they would go at least that fast. When I saw them go :50, I knew we had no shot. My boy came on but I knew we had no chance." trainer Bill Kaplan on IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY (Wild Event) running sixth in the Belmont "The race unfolded in a way that I wouldn't have predicted. Those were pretty pedestrian fractions for these horses, and my horse likes to be free-running. That basically set it up for a great finish. I just want to make sure my horse is OK coming out of the race. That's the most important thing." Greg Fox, who conditions Belmont last-place runner SLEW'S TIZZY (Tiznow) </div></body>

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