Columnist Ralph Siraco: Afleet Alex removes all doubt at Belmont Stakes

Ralph Siraco

Monday, June 13, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

On Saturday at Belmont Park, in front of 62,274 in attendance and millions more watching on television, on a day when even Mother Nature wouldn't rain on the parade, Afleet Alex proved without a doubt that he is the best 3-year-old racehorse of his generation.

He may have come up just a little short of the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, and just a little more than eight feet -- one length -- away from a Kentucky Derby win, but Preakness Stakes winner Afleet Alex was nothing but brilliant in the year's Triple Crown rubber match with Derby victor Giacomo.

Any doubt about his dominance of the class of 2002 was put to rest, along with the Derby winner and nine other overmatched sophomores, at the 1 1/4-mile marker of the Belmont Stakes. Just as the field reached the uncharted territory of that extra quarter-mile beyond the Derby distance in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, Afleet Alex drew away from his classmates and into the history books with authority. With each stride down the Belmont Park home stretch, Afleet Alex put his rivals and his few critics away with an overpowering performance reserved for just a handful of great horses on the way to two-thirds of the Triple Crown.

He now joins 10 others who lost the Derby then went on to capture the Preakness and Belmont Stakes of the Triple Crown. Point Given was the most recent in 2001, preceded by Tabasco Cat in 1994, Hansel (1991), Risen Star (1988), Little Current (1974), Damascus (1967), Nashua (1955), Native Dancer (1953), Capot (1949) and Bimelech (1940). Not bad company.

The way Afleet Alex accomplished his double-Crown feat was unique. After his near-miss in the Derby, Afleet Alex provided high drama in the Preakness Stakes while stumbling hard and almost unseating his rider Jeremy Rose after clipping heels with front-runner Scrappy T at the head of the homestretch. The athletic and agile son of Northern Afleet not only stayed on his feet, but regained momentum and ran down Scrappy T on the way to a miraculous daylight victory, leaving Derby winner Giacomo in the dust.

In the Belmont Stakes, Afleet Alex once again lagged mid-pack in the early stages. Trainer Tim Ritchey, who had built up the stamina and endurance in his stable star with an unorthodox training regiment, impressed upon jockey Rose to be patient for the long, grueling marathon of the Belmont.

He told the rider that when he thought it was time to go, to wait. And wait. Then wait some more, before asking Afleet Alex to unleash his customary closing charge.

Rose, who had ridden Afleet Alex in all but one of his dozen career races, did just that.

As the field made its way to the top of the home stretch, Derby winner Giacomo, who had raced closer to the lead than is his style, poked his head in front as Afleet Alex rolled alongside, while Southern Africa and Andromeda's Hero loomed.

The Derby and Preakness winners were stride-for-stride for a battle to the wire. Then, in an instant, Afleet Alex had burst clear. Track announcer Tom Durkin described the moment as he said, "Afleet Alex has left Giacomo as though he was standing still!"

From there to the wire, the crowd cheered and the roar of admiration stood to ignite the moment as Afleet Alex poured it on. As they approached the finish line, seven open lengths ahead of Andromeda's Hero, Rose pumped his arm and raised it in celebration.

The iron horse of this and many recent generations just keeps on rolling. And his entourage of owners just keeps partying and partying and partying. The Cash Is King, LLC, a partnership of five Philadelphia friends headed up by managing partner Chuck Zacney, had turned down tens of millions of dollars on their original $75,000 purchase before the Belmont Stakes victory.

And Afleet Alex continues to bring attention and money to the Alex's Lemonade Stand charity, in honor of Alex Scott, who was diagnosed with cancer just two days before her first birthday, and who passed away last August.

In a year of attrition, only Afleet Alex and Giacomo made it to the Belmont Stakes after participating in both Triple Crown races, while Andromeda's Hero, who finished eighth in the Derby, was the only other Belmont runner from the Triple Crown grind at all.

Right out of the storybook tales of Funny Cide and Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex is the newest chapter in racing.

Sprouting from auspicious beginnings at Delaware Park, where he won his racing debut on June 26, 2004, Afleet Alex has raced at eight different race tracks, won over sloppy to fast conditions, at distances from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/2 miles, to overcome track biases, bad trips, a lung infection, a change of partners -- once when John Velazquez replaced Rose -- and a two-a-day training regimen that would have done in most racehorses, all in the span of one year.