Breaking News! Rags to Riches Only Living Triple Crown Filly

Here's a photo by Terence Dulay after Rags won the Belmont Stakes for her family. Here is some important news: Now that Winning Colors has passed, Rags to Riches is the only living filly to have won either the Kentucky Derby, Preakness or Belmont Stakes. She is a precious, precious girl.

Here's some history. Of the 112 fillies to have run in any of the jewels, only 10 have won. Of the 38 fillies to run in the Kentucky Derby since 1875, only three won: Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) and our recently dearly departed Winning Colors (1988).

Of the 52 fillies to run in the Preakness Stakes since 1873, only four have won: Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), Rhine Maiden (1915), and Nellie Morse (1924).

Of the 21 fillies to run in the Belmont Stakes since 1867, only three have won: Ruthless (1867), Tanya (1905), and Rags to Riches (2007).

1915 would have been a fun year -- two girls taking the Kentucky Derby and Preakness!

Bless the strong champion hearts of these good girls and their 102 other big-hearted racing sisters.

Violet and Colin!!

Violet is related to Colin, born in 1905 and with a perfect race record at 15: 15-0-0. His lifetime earnings were $178,110 and he earned the 1908 3-year-old Champion of the Year Award, as well as the 1907 and 1908 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. He was inducted into the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 1956, and was voted #15 by Blood Horse magazine for Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. He won many stakes races, including the Belmont!! His perfect record stood unchallenged for 80 years before repeated by Personal Ensign. He is related to Violet through her Classic Music line. He helped produce the famous Stymie in that line. His grandsire is Domino who produced Commando who produced Colin out of an English stakeswinner filly named Pastorella. He was trained by James G. Rowe, Sr., the Hall of Fame trainer who has trained the most horses who were inducted into the Hall of Fame. He trained Sysonby, Hindoo, the first Kentucky Derby winning filly, Regret. He trained the following horses who were also inducted: Miss Woodford, Luke Blackburn, Whisk Broom, Commando, and Peter Pan. He gave his horses profound personal care, and in the case of Colin this included traveling with him, so that he could care for a swollen, mis-shapen hock. During his day, Rowe was considered America's greatest trainer. But all he wanted put on his tombstone were the words: He trained Colin! You can read more about Violet's Colin and about Colin's trainer, Mr. Rowe at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_(horse)

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Champs/AmChamp3yoMale.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=49

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/trainer.asp?ID=285

or

http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/colin.htm

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Colin.html

or

http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/colin.html

Broomstick and my girls!

Hailee and Violet are related to Broomstick, a top sire of both sires and broodmares! He was top sire for many years. He was born in 1901. His own dad was Kentucky Derby winner, Ben Brush, and so Broomstick is part of the strongest American sirelines of the 20th century. He was known as a game competitor who could carry weight. At 3, he set a new American track record time of 2:02 4/5 for 1 1/4 mile, a record which was not bested until 1913 by his own son, Whisk Broom II, also a direct relation of both Hailee and Violet. Broomstick's record was 39 races, 14 wins, 11 seconds, and 5 thirds, for a total earnings record of $74,730. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956. He died at 30 and is buried at Gainesway Farm with his children Whisk Broom and Regret, and his grandchild, Equipoise, and other descendants, including Boojum. My girls are directly related to all of these horses, except Regret, the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby and an indirect relation of my girls. Among Broomstick's children and grandchildren, Violet and Hailee are related to Frilette, Swinging, Shady, Remembrance, Whisk Broom, Boojum, Traffic, and Sweeper. You can read more about Broomstick at the following links:

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Broomstick.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=37

Regret and My Girls!

Regret was the first of three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby. She won her very first race, the Saratoga Special Stakes in 1914 against an all-male field and was in the lead the entire race! Her record was so impressive that she won the prestigious Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and was voted by Blood Horse magazine as #71 of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. She was never beaten by a female horse in her entire career. She is in the National Museum Hall of Fame. She is very heavily related to my Hailee and Violet. Regret's dad is Broomstick whose dad is Ben Brush (Kentucky Derby winner). Both of them are also, like Regret, in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. Her mom is Jersey Lightning, and so my girls are related there as well through another Kentucky Derby winner, Hindoo. In fact, my girls are related to Broomstick directly and then are on both sides of the dam and sire line of Regret's mom. You can read more about Regret's record at the following links:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2006/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1915.html

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=122
or
http://www.tbgreats.com/regret/index.html