Wow! What else to say? Rags to Riches was magnificent! No excuses by anyone, as Curlin ran a brilliant race, Tiago just didn’t have enough to beat these two today, and Hard Spun gave it his all, with what little he had left after two previous speedy performances. The rest are barely worth mentioning. Even though Tiago didn’t win, I am looking forward to him growing and maturing; by next year, as a four-year-old, he could be a monster!
Back to Rags to Riches, I guess dreams do come true :) And, finally, no more pity parties for Todd Pletcher bringing contenders to Triple Crown races only to fail in pulling out the big win. This was the biggest win there could be, and (this pains me to say) I am happy for him, and for John Velazquez, although I must say I feel even more sorry for Garrett Gomez who didn’t get to enjoy this victory. The question is now, does Gomez get back on her or does Todd stick with Johnny V? Tough one.
The Manhattan was another exciting race, as Better Talk Now showed the young ‘uns how to win big, with English Channel and Shakis finishing out the tri. Cosmonaut didn’t disappoint either, finishing just out of the money, but within inches of the top three.
I should have taken it as a sign when Cotton Blossom won the Acorn for Todd Pletcher, that this would be his day. Especially considering his underachieving three-year-olds, but not here. She blew by Dream Rush who I thought was vulnerable. Unfortunately, my dear Christmas Kid did not have enough today, and finished third.
Go Teuflesberg! Stormello set a blazing pace in the Woody Stephens, but finished third as my longshot favorite Teuflesberg came from last to first in a burst along the rail. Beautiful! I love this workman-like horse and hope to see more good things from him at this distance. Eibar Coa did a nice job with Most Distinguished, who I honestly gave no attention to, as he only broke his maiden (after 8 tries!) three races back. He did finish fourth behind Street Sense, Any Given Saturday and Delightful Kiss in the Tampa Bay Derby, and then disappeared before impressively winning an optional claiming race here at Belmont on May 11.
In the True North, what the heck was with the psycho horse Keyed Entry? He may have pulled Bordonaro far out of contention, but I still think that horse was not going to win today any ways. Suave Jazz and Dashboard Drummer got up for second and third, but the biggest surprise was Will He Shine who got the PERFECT trip for the win.
Meribel won nicely in the Foresta over two longshots, I’m in Love and Calla Lily, and My Typhoon put on a clinic in the Just a Game. I also loved seeing Papi Chullo win big over Hesanoldsalt for Gary Contessa. Overall, a very enjoyable day of racing at Belmont. And I didn’t wager a dime!
4 comments:
One small stumble for filly...one giant payback for fillykind!
I've always like Todd and glad he finally reached the wire first in this one.
Terrific race!
Rags To Riches ran a beautiful race and it thrilled me to see this beautiful filly battle it out in the end with Curlin. Her ears were back and she had the look of determination all over her. I do wonder if Curlin had been unleashed a little sooner what might have happened. I'm not so sure the 5lb difference made a difference though many will argue that it was the difference. I commend Todd Pletcher and Rags To Riches in whipping the boys today! One last point of note was that Curlin appeared to be more sweaty than the rest of the horses though the broadcast team attributed it to the humidity and heat I wondered if he might have washed out a bit.
trailryder, i noticed the sweat also, i think the big fella was worn out. What a hell of a way to perform when tired! I hope he is ok because Curlin is very special.
Great summary of the day, I agree with you right down the line! If only these stakes horses can keep running and also keep running against each other, to keep it interesting, rather than to pick their spots and avoid each other until the Breeders Cup. That rarely works, because of injuries. I was glad to see Cotton Blossom back in the Winners Circle.
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