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. It had been more than a century since Tanya's victory in 1905 and since Ruthless first made history in 1867.

A stumble out of the gate did not bode well for Rags to Riches first romp against the males, but in 2:28.74, she clinched the title and left Preakness Stakes winner Curlin to settle for second.

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.

At the age of two in 2006, Rags to Riches started her racing career with trainer Todd Pletcher. After a fourth-place finish in a 5 -furlong race at Churchill Downs, it was decided that she would run better at longer distances. She returned in January of 2007 to win a maiden race by six lengths at Santa Anita Park in California and followed that up with three Grade 1 stakes wins.

Rags to Riches triumph on the second Saturday in June under the guidance of jockey John Velazquez marked Todd Pletcher's first win of a Triple Crown race and made proud owners of Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Only 21 fillies before her ran in Belmont the last being Silverbulletday, who finished seventh in 1999.

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Breeds of the World

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A delightful mount for children and small adults who enjoy dressage or pleasure riding, the Welsh Pony is also known for its excellence in driving competitions.

In 2005, Cefnoakpark Bouncer, a Welsh Pony imported from Wales in 2000, took the driving world by storm when he and driver Suzy Stafford won the Individual Gold medal at the FEI Pony Driving World Championships held in Devonshire, England. The first entry from the United States to accomplish this, Bouncer and Stafford earned the best score out of 81 entries from 16 countries after only a few weeks of preparation. The duo continued to excel that year, receiving two more driving Grand Championships in the United States. Bouncer was also a Farnam-Platform/USEF Horse of the Year Finalist, nominated by the American Driving Society and the Welsh Pony Society.

A 13.3-hand black gelding, Bouncer is a Welsh Pony of Cob Type and falls into section C of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society. Founded in 1901, the society recognizes four types of Welsh ponies characterized into sections A, B, C and D depending on breeding. Each type differs slightly, but still maintains the same hardiness and agility of their ancestors that survived many harsh winters in the sparse hills and valleys of the Welsh countryside.

Though the Welsh Pony has been in the United States since the 1880s, it wasn't until 1907 that the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America was established. Now, Welsh Ponies can be found in all 50 states as well as in Canada.

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The Paint Horse is truly a horse of a different color, distinguished by three different patterns; overo, tobiano and tovero.

Descendants of Spanish horses brought to the new world by Hernando Cortez, Paint Horses were important to Native Americans who relied on the Paint horse and believed it to have magical powers. Later, cowboys of the western frontier discovered them for their dependability, cow sense, and of course, beauty.

Watch out for the Pinto masquerading as a Paint horse. While pinto refers to the coloring of a horse, which can be any breed, a Paint horse is a horse that is eligible for registry with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA). The second largest registry in the country, the APHA is so big that it has specific color and bloodline rules that must be met before a horse can be registered.

In an overo patterned horse, the white coloring will not cross the back of the horse between its withers and tail. At least one leg (often all four) is dark and the tail is usually just one color. Head markings are distinctive and generally white.

A tobiano, by contrast, has white coloring crossing his flanks, and often has four white legs. Head markings are like those of a solid-colored horse and its tail is often two colors.

For the horses that may show characteristics of both color patterns, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) has another classification called the tovero. This Breyer® model is an example of what a tovero would look like, with a longer tail suited for pleasure riding

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The Netherlands, known for its windmills, wooden shoes, and tulips, is also home to the little-known Dutch Harness Horse, the Tuigpaard. A high-quality performer in harness classes and driving competitions, this breed is traceable to the original harness horses (Gelderlanders) as well as the Hackney and more recently, the American Saddlebred.

Harmonie, a Tuigpaard stallion, was the first of his breed to be exported from the Netherlands by Clarke and Karen Vesty of LaGrange, Kentucky who felt the Tuigpaard would be a beneficial addition to the breeding programs of American show horse breeders.

One of only 29 breeding stallions registered with the Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), Harmonie underwent 100 days of testing, known as a ˜keuring," in 1992 in order to be accepted. Known as the Central Stallion Test, this rigorous evaluation assesses everything from health to temperament and performance. Harmonie finished at the top of his group and has remained on the approved stallion list every year since then. In 1997, one of his colts became the first Dutch Harness Horse to earn the overall KWPN National Foal Championship, receiving a perfect score of ten from every judge. And, 50 percent of his daughters have been honored with the ˜star" title, the highest accolade a mare can receive.

Truly an exceptional breeding stallion, Harmonie is an accomplished horse that serves as a great ambassador for the Tuigpaard breed.

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In 1993, a majestic Lusitano stallion stepped into the spotlight at the famed French equestrian exhibition Crini¨res d'Or (Golden Manes). Named Templado, he stole the show and continues to do so, wherever he goes.

Handsome and powerful, with a long, cascading mane that even Rapunzel would envy, he's a dreamlike image from a fairytale. His aura is magical as he dances around the arena, performing such beautiful movements as the levade and a graceful bow to his master's silent signals.

According to renowned equestrians Frédéric Pignon and Magali Delgado, Templado is as astounding a teacher as he is a performer. Foaled in 1985 on the Delgado farm in southeastern France, the lively son of Perdigon VI was sold as a yearling but returned three years later as a rebellious young stallion.

Although his name is Spanish for temperate, Templado was anything but! In fact, he was hypersensitive, unpredictable and resistant to traditional teaching. So Pignon tried game-playing to build respect and trust. Progress was slow, but humility and patience won out. Eventually, Pignon learned that to keep Templado happy, one must allow him to feel free.

Known around the world, the luminous white stallion has performed in France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. Now Templado is the star at liberty in an acclaimed equestrian spectacle with Frédéric and Magali that is touring the United States and Canada.

Templado's staggering beauty also makes him a natural for commercials and advertisements. So complete is his trust in Pignon that he even agreed to roll in the mud for one photo session! Yet this supreme showman can still be temperamental. Will he allow you to stroke him? Or will he shake his long mane and gallop away? Welcome to the many moods of Templado.

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