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Rags to Riches once again looms large over the Belmont (Courtesy of New York Racing Association)

With its old-time classic feel, the circular design decorated with unfurling scrolls proclaiming the 140th running of the spring classic, evokes the rich history of the oldest of the Triple Crown races. The Belmont story, however, is brought up to date through the blue and orange of the jockey silks (a color scheme picked up by the logo's other design elements) and the flashy chestnut stylized horse with a white blaze, which all combine to evoke memories of Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith's remarkable filly Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy).

Last year, Rags to Riches carried Tabor's blue and orange silks to victory in the Belmont, becoming only the third filly in history and the first in 102 years to win the $1 million event, defeating eventual Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) by a head in the process. That race was voted the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's "Moment of the Year," and would secure for Rags to Riches the 2007 Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old filly.

"This year's Belmont Stakes logo pays tribute to Rags to Riches, the first filly to win the third leg of the Triple Crown in 102 years," said Gavin Landry, NYRA's senior vice president of sales and market development. "With the 2008 logo, we hope to establish the new tradition of honoring the previous year's Belmont Stakes winner by incorporating the owner's colors into the next year's event logo."