Dual classic hero AFLEET ALEX (Northern Afleet) came out of his resounding
seven-length victory in Saturday’s Belmont S. (G1) in good condition, according
to trainer Tim Ritchey.
“No problems,” he said Sunday. “We washed the poultice off his legs, which is
a normal thing I do with every horse. His legs were ice cold, tight as could be,
he walked very well, grazed for a while and everything’s good.
“He’s an iron horse,” the conditioner added. “He’s performing better and
better and better every time. The races he’s been through, for him to run like
he did in the Preakness and then come back and run this kind of race in the
Belmont, I think that shows he’s a very special horse. I’ve said all along that
he will run as far as they write a race.”
Jockey Jeremy Rose sat chilly on the talented colt for most of the 1 1/2-mile
Belmont. It was Afleet Alex himself who split horses going around the turn,
utilizing the same powerful kick that almost led to disaster in the Preakness S.
(G1) when Scrappy T. (Fit to Fight) veered in front of him. The bay colt clipped
heels and almost went down there, but recovered to go on and post a 4 3/4-length
score in that 1 3/16-mile test. Rose demonstrated his own brand of talent by
staying aboard in the Preakness, but didn’t have to worry about any acrobatics
in the Belmont.
“To be honest, this was a very uneventful race,” Rose said after his winning
ride. “It was beautiful, (a) perfect trip. Alex put me in the garden spot the
whole way around. Save (ground) around the first turn, no clipping of the heels
to make it exciting for you guys. I like it that way.”
On Sunday morning, Afleet Alex, Rose and Ritchey were on NBC’s Today Show
live from Belmont Park, with the colt playing with his jockey before chewing on
an Alex’s Lemonade Stand poster his trainer was using to promote the charity.
Afleet Alex will remain at Belmont for the next couple of days and is expected
to make his next start at either Monmouth Park or Saratoga.
“I want to have 10 or 15 horses going to the same place he is,” Ritchey said.
“Probably the most likely is Monmouth Park because the Haskell (Invitational
[G1]) is the next target we’re going to shoot at.”
Along with the August 7 Haskell, Ritchey also mentioned the August 27 Travers
S. (G1) as a possible race for his charge, though he said Afleet Alex might not
necessarily run in both. The one thing he was definitive on was the colt’s
racing career.
“As long as he’s healthy and sound, he will run as a four-year-old, end of
story. The owners (Cash is King LLC) are in 100 percent agreement with that. I
think it’s the thing to do. I think it will make the horse more valuable. I
think the owners are having the time of their lives and I know I am. If we can
get one more year, it makes him an even better breeding prospect. If he can run
as a two-, three- and four-year-old in major races and do some things in the
future — the grass is a possibility and it may not be until 2006 that he gets
on the grass. There are a lot of things we can do with this horse.”