Will Rags to Riches dirt marathon favor speed or closer?
The emphasis is on stamina this week at Belmont Park, where five races ranging in distance from 1 1/2 miles to two miles will be run between Thursday and Saturday.
Of course, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes is the focus this week. For most of its 13 entrants, this will be the only time they ever race at such an extended trip.
Two of the other marathons are on turf. The other two dirt races, both at 1 1/2 miles, are the $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational on Saturday and the $150,000 Rags to Riches on Friday.
The Rags to Riches, a new race this year, has attracted a field of six. The favorite likely will be either Mei Ling, who has the best early speed but will be making her first start beyond 1 1/8 miles, or Theogony, a deep closer who has raced as far as 1 1/4 miles but has yet to win beyond 1 1/16 miles.
Both horses come out of the 1 1/8-mile Allaire duPont Distaff at Pimlico. Theogony finished a late-closing second at 5-1, while 2-1 favorite Mei Ling weakened in the stretch to finish sixth.
Rags to Riches, Race 3
Key Contenders
Mei Ling, by Empire Maker
Last 3 Beyers: 79-88-95
◗ She didn’t run her best race in the duPont Distaff after having to bide her time early down along the inside. Her best races have come either on the lead or from a pace-pressing position. She should be prominent throughout.
◗ Todd Pletcher removes the blinkers she has worn in her last three starts.
Theogony, by Curlin
Last 3 Beyers: 90-93-87
◗ Trained by Mark Casse, she trailed the field to the stretch of the duPont Distaff and then finished fastest of all only to run out of room and be beaten a half-length. How that style will translate in a 1 1/2-mile race is hard to say, but she did turn in a good effort.
Joint Return, by Include
Last 3 Beyers: 89-85-78
◗ In the duPont Distaff, she had only Theogony beaten early. She rallied up the rail in upper stretch, swung outside horses, and finished third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. She was giving it her all in the stretch, but Theogony ran by her from the outside.
◗ Trained by John Servis, she has been improving in her recent races, but it is hard to ignore that she has not won in 14 starts dating back two years. The best effort of her career came in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama in 2014, when she finished second to Stopchargingmaria.
Milaya, by Eskendereya
Last 3 Beyers: 84-82-87
◗ This Michael Dilger trainee is still eligible for a second-level allowance, but her recent Beyers are the highest of her career. She has been tracking realistic fractions in races at a mile and 1 1/16 miles and may press Mei Ling early or find herself on the lead.