Afleet Alex survives rough trip to win Preakness Stakes Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Afleet Alex survives rough trip to win Preakness Stakes
Life imitated life at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday when Cash Is King Stable’s Afleet Alex, a portion of whose earnings helps fight childhood cancer, survived a collision turning for home to win the 130th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) by 4 3/4 lengths over Scrappy T in front of a record crowd of 115,318. Showing the same determination Alexandra Scott displayed when she battled cancer until her death at the age of eight last year, Afleet Alex overcame being broadsided by Scrappy T turning for home. He went to his knees, but jockey Jeremy Rose stayed aboard the son of Northern Afleet, who pulled away from Scrappy T to win in 1:55.04 for 1 3/16 miles—the fastest Preakness since Real Quiet finished in 1:54.75 in 1998. “Someone pulled me out of the fire on that one. Little Alex was watching me,” Rose said, referring to Scott and the namesake of the Pennsylvania-based charity Alex’s Lemonade Stand that raises money for cancer.” Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) but returned in the Preakness as the 3.30-to-1 favorite. Some talk after the Derby surrounded Afleet Alex’s ability to compete at a route of ground, but he found another gear in the final furlong. Giacomo, who caught Afleet Alex and Closing Argument in deep stretch to win the Kentucky Derby, finished third, and five lengths behind Scrappy T. “I’m very happy that Jeremy was able to stay on the horse, and that the horse is athletic enough to keep going,” winning trainer Tim Ritchey said. “I’ve always said he can go as far as they’ll write races. I think he’ll go a mile-and-a-half without a problem—I always have.” The Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 11 at Belmont Park could be a showdown between Afleet Alex and Giacomo, as well as beaten Derby favorite Bellamy Road. Ritchey said that Afleet Alex would go on to Belmont as long as he came out of Preakness in good order. “I don’t think there was any embarrassment in running third in the Preakness,” said Giacomo’s trainer, John Shirreffs, who did not immediately commit to the Belmont. “We were pleased with the effort. He wins the Derby and comes back to run third in the Preakness; I think that says a lot about Giacomo.” If Afleet Alex fell to the ground, stewards most likely would have placed Scrappy T last, which would have elevated Giacomo to the win position and given that colt a shot at the Triple Crown. Rose staying aboard Afleet Alex was not his only good move in the race, though, as he improved his colt’s position with every move he made around the racetrack. Out of the gate, Rose immediately took Afleet Alex, who started from post 12, toward the rail and found good position in the two path around the first turn. Up the backstretch, Rose went to the inside of a retreating Wilko and gained ground around the far turn. He then tracked Greeley’s Galaxy as that colt made his move before swinging to the outside turning for home, which is when Scrappy T moved sharply to the right and collided with him. “Whoa! You son of a bitch,” Ritchey yelled when Afleet Alex nearly went down, but then exultation: “He’s still going to win! “Jeremy did a fantastic job of putting the horse where he needed to be throughout the entire race,” Ritchey said later. “I’m glad nothing bad happened,” said Ramon Dominguez, who rode Scrappy T. “He was starting to look around some, so I hit him, and I guess I caught him off guard because he just took a sharp right.” Scrappy T looked like an eventual winner around the far turn until Afleet Alex came with his furious rush on the outside. Dominguez gave him a ground-saving trip throughout the race, but lost any chance to win when Scrappy T blew the turn. Scrappy T showed similar tactics when winning the Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on April 30. High Limit and Going Wild established the early pace as expected with High Limit maintaining the lead through a quarter mile in :23.17, a half-mile in :46.07, and six furlongs in 1:10.72. High Limit finished fifth, but Going Wild finished last of 14. “He ran good, didn’t he?” High Limit’s trainer, Bobby Frankel, said. “If [Going Wild] wasn’t with him, he would have won, and where did he finish?” The race’s biggest disappointment came from Kentucky Derby runner-up Closing Argument, who never was a factor while finishing ninth in the Preakness. More disappoints abounded for trainer Nick Zito, as his three starters finished fourth (Sun King), sixth (Noble Causeway), and tenth (High Fly) to make his classic record this year zero-for-eight. Afleet Alex was bred in Florida by John Silvertand out of the winning Hawkster mare Maggy Hawk and is a full brother to stakes winner Unforgettable Max. Cash Is King bought Afleet Alex for $75,000 from the consignment of Robert N. Scanlon, agent, at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic two-year-olds in training sale. Other Preakness finishers were Greeley's Galaxy, seventh; Malibu Moonshine, eighth; Hal's Image, 11th; Wilko, 12th; and Galloping Grocer, 13th.—Ed DeRosa