Rags to Riches

Queen of the Sport of Kings 

Rags to Riches, a chestnut American Thoroughbred filly, became "Queen of the Sport of Kings" on June 9, 2007 when she became only the third filly to win the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown and the longest, oldest race of the prestigious triad.

© Barbara Livingston

Foaled February 27, 2004, Rags to Riches hails from a distinguished line of Thoroughbred racehorses. Her sire, A.P. Indy was the 1992 Belmont winner, U.S. Horse of the Year and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Inductee. His sire was the great Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown winner, and she is a half sister of 2006 Belmont winner, Jazil.

"Rags" won five of her seven total starts in 2007 during her 3-year-old season, which resulted in total earnings over $1.3 million. Her flurry of accolades following this incredible streak included the 2007 Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly and being named 2007 World Champion 3-year-old filly by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). A 4-year-old racing season was planned, but was cancelled after she sustained a pastern injury. 

Rags was retired to Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for breeding. She spent extended time in Ireland, beginning in 2009, and was returned to Ashford in 2016. Her offspring have been sired by multiple well-known stallions, including Tapit, Justify, and American Pharoah. 

In 2016, the New York Racing Association created a new race in the mare's honor: the Rags to Riches Invitational Stakes. This race is the only dirt race in the United States for fillies and mares that is more than 1¼ miles in length. The race is traditionally held the Friday before the Belmont Stakes each year.

Despite her short career, it's no wonder why Rags to Riches is considered one of the greatest racing fillies of all time!

Rags to Riches' Breyer model was released from 2007 to 2009.