Rags to Riches (2004–2025): The Filly Who Conquered the Belmont
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Rags to Riches, the only filly in over a century to win the Belmont Stakes, has died at age 21. The announcement came from Coolmore America on November 24, 2025; the chestnut mare passed peacefully at Ashford Stud in Kentucky due to the infirmities of old age.
Bred in Kentucky and sold for $1.9 million as a yearling, she raced for Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and was trained by Todd Pletcher. In 2007, the daughter of A.P. Indy swept the Kentucky Oaks and then, in one of racing’s most thrilling finishes, outdueled Curlin by a head to become the first filly since 1905 to win the Belmont Stakes. Jockey John Velazquez rode her in all seven career starts; she won five, including three Grade 1s, and earned Eclipse champion three-year-old filly honors.
Retired to Ashford Stud, she produced several winners, most notably Hungarian Horse of the Year Rhett Butler.
Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan called her “a truly talented racehorse” who “brought great pride to her ownership.”
With her passing, the sport loses not just a champion, but the filly who reminded the world that courage and class know no gender. Rest easy, Queen of the Belmont.
