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139TH BELMONT STAKES

June 9, 2007

ELMONT, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Okay. We're live in the interview room now. We'll be joined by the rest of Rags to Riches' connections momentarily. Obviously, we're joined first and foremost by trainer, Todd Pletcher. I'll get the obligatory obvious question out of the way.
What does it mean to get that first Triple Crown win under your belt? What were you thinking down the stretch when your filly was duking it out with Curlin?
TODD PLETCHER: I have such a high regard for Curlin. You know how good a horse is. The 16th pole, I thought, oh, man this will be an awfully tough beat right here. But you know it was watching the race, she wouldn't have given the warm, cozy feeling after stumbling out of the gate. You know, it's a real credit to how good this filly is.
THE MODERATOR: Given your record in the Triple Crown up to now, did a thought cross your mind, darn it, all, I'm going to lose this race by a nose?
TODD PLETCHER: No. What did I have to lose. You guys are running out of stories to write.
MICHAEL TABOR: We're paying the bills, what's he got to lose?
TODD PLETCHER: Couldn't do it the easy way, take a colt. This is pretty special when you look at the historical perspective. Boy, if you look at the statistics all week, you know, no fillies won it in 102 years. That's pretty intimidating stuff.
The only thing we could really go by was first and foremost, how well the filly was doing; how well she was training; how good she was doing. I kept coming back to her pedigree. A.P. Indy, half sister to last Belmont winner.
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 a quality horse like Curlin, Hard Spun, that was the million dollar question.
But thankfully, these gentlemen were game to take a shot and, you know, it worked out well.
THE MODERATOR: Todd, the gentlemen you're referring to is to our left. Derrick Smith and to our right, Michael Tabor. You gentlemen both enjoyed success in racing in Europe where running fillies against colts is not that big a deal; not so here in the United States.
First question, we always hear with colts when you win a classic, the value goes through the roof. With fillies, it's a different deal.
Is there a value increase to her now, or is it all about the prestige of a filly winning an American classic and her place in the history books?
MICHAEL TABOR: For us, it's all about the prestige of a filly winning a Belmont, because we're not going to sell her anyway. So it's all about prestige, as you say, she's not a colt. If it was a colt, it puts a different perspective on it. As it's a filly, we are just here to enjoy and win, and obviously, I suppose if we were a seller, it would put value on her. We hope to breed from her and enjoy the produce.
THE MODERATOR: Obviously, you don't run in a race like the Belmont Stakes with a filly without giving a lot of thought.
Can you retrace your thoughts about the decision?
MICHAEL TABOR: 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. Obviously, you discuss things with any trainer, but if you're going to make the decisions, in my opinion, you shouldn't have that trainer.
I always discussed it with Todd and Derrick, my co-partner, and we're very flexible about it. 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.
THE MODERATOR: Is it possible we could see her take on boys again at some future point in her career?
MICHAEL TABOR: I would say it's more than possible. I haven't discussed it. Obviously, there are some filly races like the Alabama. I suppose we would like to win. Maybe the end of season we'll keep her in training next year, hopefully; take on the boys whenever we think it's appropriate.
THE MODERATOR: John Velazquez, congratulations on your first Triple Crown win, long overdue, based on your outstanding career thus far.
First question, take us through the trip, especially the stumble at the beginning. Did your heart sink when the gates opened.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: Definitely. 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 you come to your mind, please don't get hurt.
Second going through my head was like don't pull a shoe off. Right after that, I thought, good thing it was a mile and a half. She kind of got herself together going to that first turn.
Todd and I talked about she never had really that much dirt on her. He didn't want her to be taking too much dirt and jumping up and down and wasting a lot of energy.
Also, I didn't want to be in a dual hit another horse where we're bouncing around. That's the reason we stay three or four wide all the way, just to give a chance and not waste energy.
After that, she was going comfortable the whole way. Soon as I saw Curlin moving inside, I said, this is my time to move and try to outrun him down the lane. And that's what she did.
I mean, she was very healthy. Only thing she did, so many of the press by the wire, she saw kind of slowed down a little bit. When she felt Curlin again, she came right back on it. She put up a good fight.
THE MODERATOR: Like a good Belmont rider, you kept your competition to the inside. Coming down the stretch, it did seem like she might go by and open up a little bit. And so she was looking around.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: When you see by the wire all the press and the photographers right there. Obviously, she gone by them. As soon she saw it was beam by the wire. Right away she kind of slowed down.
As soon as she felt the other horse coming to her, she went right back at it and put a really good fight.
THE MODERATOR: If anybody upstairs wants to ask a question, you can relay it down to me we'll get it asked.
Meantime, folks down here, I'm going to repeat it for the benefit of those listening upstairs.
In the corner.

Q. Todd,what are your plans, how will you run Rags to Riches against the boys?
TODD PLETCHER: Way too premature to make a decision right this second. You know, honestly, I don't know. I think we've got to let the dust settle first and foremost see how the filly goes out of it; might show up in the Coaching Club in Alabama, Haskell and Travers, the filly is going to make those decisions. My job is to read how the filly is doing and when she's ready to run.

Q. Same question, Mr. Tabor and Mr. Smith as just asked for John, your thoughts during the race at the beginning particularly. The stumble, take us to your thoughts during the course of the race.
MICHAEL TABOR: My immediate thoughts were shades of 1995, if anybody watched the Traverse. There's an award winning photograph of Thunder Gulch. As the stalls opened, he was up in the air and I remember thinking just before that race as that happened, there's no such thing as a certainty in racing. I thought he was a proverbial certainty in that race. He on came it and won it, as you know, that flashed through my mind immediately, so, maybe it was an omen.

Q. During the stretch run, your thoughts during that?
MICHAEL TABOR: For me, I just have so much confidence in this filly that I was always -- 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. I know over here it's a big deal, the girls against the boys. We're not so used to that in Europe. So for me, yeah, the girls can take on the boys.

Q. You were just talking about Thunder Gulch. That's kind of the start of your relationship with Todd. Can you go through that how you end up sending horses to Todd after he went on out on his own?
MICHAEL TABOR: It's very simple. I mean, as you know, Wayne Lucus trained Thunder Gulch and at that time Todd was a young man, so was I. He looked after Thunder Gulch and as you know Thunder Gulch had a great career, and when Todd went training, I thought it was only natural that I would give him one or two horses, which we did. He became more and more successful. I was very impressed with his whole manner and attitude and his work ethics. It really was a simple decision to send him horses.

Q. For both John and Todd, can you just talk about the reaction that she got from the crowd in the paddock when she went on the track and came back? Have you ever experienced that with any other horse.?
TODD PLETCHER: No. You know, as a rule, we're probably the one everybody's rooting against. We're the underdog world today, that was kind of sweet. The reception was kind of unbelievable.
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.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: Same here. As soon as I got on the horse, start going around the paddock, the crowd was unbelievable. It was really give you goose bumps, thinking about the crowd would get so pumped up about the filly running against the comments, especially when I went out there on the track.
People in the race, people are yelling and screaming. It was really a great thing to see the crowd enjoying the races. Afterwards, it was even better.

Q. Todd, where does Gary Gomez fit. Does he get the mount back?
TODD 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 off if this filly wins. It's very unfortunate for Garrett. I feel badly for him, for 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.
Ron came to me and said, what are you going to do with the filly?
I said, I really don't think we'll run if Street Sense, Curlin and Hard Spun all run. So, trying to read what the Street Sense connections were going to do, I thought they were going to run at that stage, to be honest with you. So, Ron bought a couple of days. He was getting pressure to make a commitment and I said, you've got to do what you have to do, Ron, and I can't blame you. I don't want to hold you up from riding a race. I can't tell you 100 percent what you're going to do right now. Obviously, when Street Sense defected, the wheels kept turning and, you know, we decided, let's continue to train the filly as though she's pointing for the Belmont, and when she worked on Sunday and worked real well Monday, Mr. Tabor and I talked Tuesday morning, we made the decision we were going to go.
Mr. Smith and Mr. Tabor were excited. Once we made the decision, I felt good about it and felt about it ever since then. We gave Ron the chance. Obviously, it was a tough situation for him and, you know, he had to honor his commitment. We were fortunate enough Johnny was able to get on board.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: Can I defend myself in that one?
Let me just state, you know, it's unfortunate for him definitely? I think, I got hurt last year, it's a very unfortunate thing also.
He has won on some horses. Was riding. Actually, he has won on those horses. He kept the horses. That's basically the way the business goes. Fortunate one time or another, whether you get hurt or commit somewhere else, I think in this case I was the winner.
THE MODERATOR: The question from the Press Box upstairs for you, John, as great as it must feel to have won your first Triple Crown race yourself, can you discuss the pride in being part of today's first Triple Crown win?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: Tell you, no words to describe it. Obviously, I haven't one Triple Crown is like getting hold, basically. Trying to come back and you get one.
Looking back, like Todd said earlier, you have to have the right horse for the right race and the right circumstances. I think this was our best chance right here today with this filly and we got it done.

Q. Todd, is there anything about this filly that perhaps is not ladylike and allows her to take on the boys?
TODD PLETCHER: Like a lot of the good fillies I've been around, you wouldn't want to mess with her a whole lot. I remember one day at Keeneland, I was telling Demi O'Brien. We went to dinner that night. I said, how's the filly? I said great.
When I stuck my head from in d tub she came in like from the back of the stall and almost took my head off. That's her. She's a very classy filly. Push a button, you can do anything you want with her.
She's a little bit bossy, too. That's what makes her good.

Q. On the replay, John, it seemed like you followed Hard Spun until he ran out of gas; is that accurate?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: That's right. And also I was trying to keep Curlin in there the best as I could. I was actually trying to block him in there and trying to outrun him down the lane.
He got through on the rail when he got through, so I made my move also. It was sometimes you got to play the way it looks. He was the horse to beat in the race. You got to look for the horse. I was very fortunate that the filly was running really well around the turn. I got to wait and look where he was. Once he made his move, I made my move, and, you know, she overcame everything. She showed what kind of horse she was.

Q. In terms of getting familiar, John in terms of riding this filly what did you do to prepare.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: Nothing.
TODD PLETCHER: Make sure he has Beth legs on each side.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: I watch her a lot when she races. It's not unusual for us to jump from one horse to another we never seen or road before you get used to it. As long as you watch the horses and the way they run and you get together with a strain near and they know the horses very well, spend all the time with the horses they know the horses very well, my job is going go on there and try to get the best ride I can. She's a good horse, she overcame by stumbling out of the gate and overcame going around everybody, even she was four wide, she showed what kind of horse she is.

Q. You mentioned that you run fillies against colts in Europe all the time. What other major victories have you had running fillies against coat.
MICHAEL TABOR: It's a very good can't I can't answer really answer it. Because, you make a bigger deal of it here. But in Europe you keep the colts in a race together, I mean for example, in the Derby you wouldn't really a filly because the folks is the previous day and you run the fillies in the Oaks. I can't really think of any great successes we've had but then we don't attach that much importance to it. We don't think that way.

Q. You have a two-year-old filly for next year's Derby Todd?
TODD PLETCHER: Maybe that's the problem I've been looking with the wrong gender all this time.
THE MODERATOR: He's still 28 for zero with these colts in this.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: We stop that already. From now on you'll see everything turns around.
THE MODERATOR: Go ahead you were going to say something.
TODD PLETCHER: No can't say it in public.
THE MODERATOR: Better get out of here now.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: We'll see new the parking lot.
THE MODERATOR: A racing fan might have looked at the Las Virgnes Stakes to realize maybe this was a special filly. Maybe one in a thousand would have won that race given the trip she had. When did you, as the trainer, or maybe Mr. Tabor as the owner realize presumably it was before then that this is not your ordinary filly?
TODD PLETCHER: Basically the first time I breezed her at Churchill. She went three to a mile in about 36 and change I said right then this is a special filly we never felt any differently about her from that stage on we were unfortunate she didn't win first time out. She didn't get away real well. Five and half was obviously too short, although we thought she was good enough to overcome that. She had some minor two year old issues after that. Splints, immaturity. Being an A P independent I bred the way she is. We decided to give her some time at that stage. We brought her back and she trained like the super star she is.
THE MODERATOR: John, we've been talk being the musical Jockey issue vis-a-vis Garrett Gomez and Hard Spun, but a few days ago your name was listed near Slew's Tizzy was it difficult on your part to get back on Rags to Riches?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: That's my agent's job. You have to talk to my agent about that.
THE MODERATOR: Do you stay above the fray, presumably tell your agent what your preferences are. You're not involved in it beyond that.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: He tells me what to do. He tells me what to do.

Q. Were what did it feel like to run a Triple Crown race. Ultimately what does it feel like to win a Triple Crown race?
TODD PLETCHER: It feels awfully good. Like I said before to do it for the connections here. Mr. Tabor and Demi O'Brien gave me a chance when I need add chance, so to do it for them is extra special and you flow to do it with a filly the first time in 102 years you kind of got to take a step back and fresh the moment and fresh how special it is and how hard it is to do.

Q. John, did Garrett happen to say anything to you as you breezed past Hard Spun?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: No, I went too fast by him. He couldn't say anything.
THE MODERATOR: Did Robby Albarado say anything?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: He said congratulations.
THE MODERATOR: Anything further?
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: So did Gary Gomez, too.

Q. Todd, how are you feeling/I heard you had a stomach flu?
TODD PLETCHER: I've had a case of the flu about the last 48 hours.
JOHN VELAZQUEZ: I think I cured it.
TODD PLETCHER: A bad day to have it. That certainly picked my head up.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else for John Velazquez or Derrick Smith?

Q. Could I just ask with a horse this good and making so much history, could you talk a little bit about the responsibility that goes with having a horse like that and running him as you already mentioned another season, running her another season?
TODD PLETCHER: Obviously, Mr. Smith and Mr. Tabor are sportsmen, otherwise, the filly wouldn't have run today. They had a purse to gain and basically the glory of winning the Belmont with a filly, but, you know, if they decide to keep her in training next year, which I think Mr. Tabor said he would like to, obviously, the difficult thing with a filly like this is why I struggled a little bit with making the decision to go in the Belmont, is that I just like her so much and I know that she's so good, that if I don't mess her up, if I don't do something wrong, there's a decent chance there's no filly that's ever going to beat her.
What I was concerned about was doing the wrong thing by the filly. When I was convinced that she was well, that she had trained well, and she was ready for the Belmont, then the decision was made. But, you know, it's hard. Those situations are difficult. You get one that's this good, and you want to protect them and you want them to never get beaten.
By the same token, this is why we're in the game. These are the kind of races that we want to win and so that's what you've got to shoot for.
THE MODERATOR: Derrick and Michael, I just want to follow up with something that was intimated over the ABC telecast, obviously, Carl Nafzger, Mr. Tafel took a little heat for not running Street Sense in this race. The thought was posed, part of your rationale in running the filly was it was what the public wanted to see. It would make the race more interesting for the public.
Was that indeed a factor whatsoever today.
MICHAEL TABOR: You mean with Street Sense not running? When I discussed it with Todd a week or so back, when you have three top quality colts like Hard Spun, Curlin and Street Sense, you don't really want to go and take the three of them on. And the fact of Street Sense not running, it helped make our decision and it really was as simple as that. We would not have taken the three on at that time. When we discussed it, we wouldn't have. But maybe when it came nearer the time, Todd would have said maybe we should take them on. We didn't have that decision to make. We only had the two to think about.
THE MODERATOR: Once Street Sense did come out, did the thought enter your mind having your filly would make it a more interesting race for everybody concerned?
MICHAEL TABOR: That's right. That's what the public wants. That's what we want and, obviously, you get much more enjoyment by having the best against the best.
THE MODERATOR: Anything further for our guests up front?

Q. Were you gentlemen aware that the network is showing a movie about Ruffian tonight? And could you just -- I know it's not as big a deal to you being from across there, just the whole historical circle of all of that?
MICHAEL TABOR: I'm not that familiar, I have to be honest, with Ruffian, I was looking at the New York Times this morning and I saw, I think it was the New York Times, it was an article about Ruffian. I was only thinking about the Belmont, not Ruffian.
THE MODERATOR: John Velazquez, Derrick Smith, Todd Pletcher, Michael Tabor, congratulations to all four of you at historic Belmont Stakes and we look forward to seeing you in the future.

End of FastScripts

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