Afleet Alex: Horse Racing's Top Three-Year-Old of 2005!

Afleet Alex has proven the thoroughbred racing world that once and for all he is the king after smoothly winning the 2005 Belmont Stakes, the dramatic final chapter in the Triple Crown series.

Tim Ritchey trained colt was the consistent favorite in all the three Triple Crown races. Despite finishing third in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, where longshot horse Giacomo's surprise win left everyone open-jawed, horse racing insiders had no doubt on what Alex is really made of.

Afleet Alex entered the Preakness Stakes (May 27) as the horse to beat, with Giacomo only favored fourth. And Alex didn't fail them the second time. Even with a near-collision that could have ended in tragedy when he was almost knocked down to his knees after Scrappy T veered into his path at the top of the stretch, Alex still won by 4 3/4 lengths.

This catapulted Alex even more to gain top odds for the final Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes. On June 11, he stormed through Belmont Park with an overpowering seven-length victory.

Afleet Alex became just the second favorite in the last 10 years to win the 1 1-2 mile Belmont, where four of the previous six races produced huge payoffs. Last year, Birdstone spoiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown try and returned $74 for a $2 win ticket. In 2002, Sarava won and paid $142.50.

Winning time for the race was 2:28.75, well off Secretariat's record of 2:24 in 1973. Afleet Alex finished so strongly, he ran the final quarter mile in 24.50 seconds, a half-second faster than Secretariat.

"He's a beast, he's a freak of nature, he's made out of steel," winning jockey Jeremy Rose enthuses. "He's the best three-year-old in the country."

Alex, with this eighth win in 12 starts, earned $600,000 from the $1 million purse and boosted his bankroll to $2,765,800.

The Ugly Duckling

“A scrawny, nasty looking thing,” was how breeder John Silvertand described Alex at first sight. Alex's ownership was decided by a coin toss (in which John lost), Cash Is King stable bought him for $75,000 despite its medical history.

The Northern Afleet colt has had to fight to survive since the moment he was born. His mare, Maggy Hawk, was unable to nurse, depriving him of infection-fighting colostrum and endangering his life. He had to be bottle fed for sustenance until a nurse mare could be found 12 days later.

Meanwhile, Silvertand was fighting his own battle with cancer. He claims Alex has helped him to survive.

Afleet Alex was more than brilliant as a 2-year-old, he won his first four starts, including the prestigious Sanford and Hopeful stakes at Saratoga. The colt also finished second in the Champagne and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and came into the year among the leading Derby contenders.

Alex would also play a role in helping a namesake accomplish a dream. Chuck Zacney, one of the co-owners, was touched by the story of a cancer-stricken 8-year-old who wanted to raise funds for pediatric cancer research by putting up a lemonade stand in front of their house.

Alexandra Scott died in August last year, but Zacney and his partners at Cash is King stable has donated more than $100,000 to the foundation, and the Afleet Alex connection has brought an estimated $100,000 in donations. All the horse's merchandising material bears a lemon logo representing the charity.

Alex's Lemonade Stands were operated at the sites of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.

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What's Next for Afleet Alex?

Without a Triple Crown at stake for the first time in four years, racing fans settled for crowning a Preakness-Belmont winner.

"He should be a Triple Crown winner, but I messed up," Rose said blaming himself for their failure in the Derby.

But two out of three ain't bad, Afleet Alex became just the 11th thoroughbred to win the Preakness and Belmont after running in the Derby. Among the elite group are Native Dancer, Nashua and Damascus, each of whom just missed in the Derby.

He is being pointed to the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 7 for his next start, then on Aug. 27 at Travers at Saratoga, and the Oct. 1 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. He'll be entering the field the year's top three year old.

Still after that Afleet Alex would be pointed to the Breeders' Cup, where he would potentially face a showdown with 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper in the Oct. 29 Breeders' Cup Classic. And Ritchey sees more races as a 4 year old. His whole future awaits.

Afleet Alex, winner of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, ending the 2005 Triple Crown season as the top three year old of thoroughbred racing.