You never forget the name of your first lesson horse – that horse who taught you what you need to know to work with every one that follows.
In this series, participants throughout the Thoroughbred industry share the names and stories of the horses that have taught them the most about life, revealing the limitless ways that horses can impact the people around them. Some came early on in their careers and helped them set a course for the rest of their lives, while others brought valuable lessons to veterans of the business.
Question: Which horse has taught you the most about life?
Anna Seitz, Fasig-Tipton: “I worked for Todd Pletcher when he had Rags to Riches and she won the Belmont Stakes. Somehow, she changed me…just because she was so amazing, beating the boys. I just remember she made me want to be better at what I do.
“She was a cool horse. She was mean and nasty in the stall, but then, when I got to pony her out on the track, she was a completely different horse. Just to be around something so great, and to be a part of that team, it was pretty special.
“When she won the Belmont Stakes, I started hyperventilating, and I'd never hyperventilated before. I didn't know what was going on. I just remember Todd's assistant being like, 'You've gotta breathe,' and I said, 'I can't.' I was just so overwhelmed. It was like a dream.
“I ponied and walked hots for Todd, but I also did a lot of office stuff. I took care of owners, and whatever Todd needed. I got to see everything, so it was cool to get to work with the horses, but also deal with the owners. It was a great experience, and now I have horses with Todd.”
Anna Seitz leads I'm Already Sexy into the winner's circle
About Rags to Riches
2004, m., A.P. Indy x Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister
One of the great fillies of the 2000s, Rags to Riches established herself at the top of her division early in her 3-year-old campaign with wins in the G1 Las Virgenes Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks before taking the Kentucky Oaks by a dominant 4 1/4 lengths. She then became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years when she bested Preakness Stakes winner Curlin by a head in one of the most exciting renewals in the history of the classic race.
Rags to Riches finished the season with an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly of 2007. She retired with five wins in seven starts for earnings of $1,342,528.
Bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, Rags to Riches was a $1.9-million purchase by the Coolmore partnership at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Now a broodmare, Rags to Riches is the dam of two winners from five foals to race. Her most notable runner to date is the Galileo colt Rhett Butler, who was a two-time champion in Hungary.
The post Lesson Horses Presented By John Deere Equine Discount Program: Anna Seitz On Rags To Riches appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
