Triple Kentucky Derby Crown

Cash is King Stable's Afleet Alex, winner of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), breezed five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 at Pimlico Wednesday in preparation for the June 11 Belmont Stakes (gr. I). At this point, the colt is expected to arrive in New York on Saturday. The son of was clocked in fractions of :14, :26 2/5, :38, and :49 4/5 for the half mile. He was caught galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 2/5, pulling up seven panels in 1:29. "He came out of it well and cooled out perfect," trainer Tim Ritchey said. "We scoped him 45 minutes after the work and he scoped clean as can be. Our plan was to start out easy and let him finish strong. It was a maintenance breeze to make sure everything's good with him. After watching that and how he came back, I think we are in good shape." Ritchey had originally planned on vanning to Belmont last Saturday, but decided against it after a suspected case of strangles was discovered. "I'd like to have gotten him to Belmont earlier, because, just like I did here, I wanted to get him over that track as many times as possible," Ritchey said. "But with the suspected strangles there, I was unable to. I didn't want to put his health at risk and would never do that. It's actually been very good at Pimlico, because we're the only ones in the whole barn. It's laid back and he's been able to relax, more so than if he had been at Belmont with all the media attention. "We just have to work with what we've got. Hopefully, I'll be able to ship on Saturday. From what they tell me, it should be OK. I'll train him Saturday morning, get him all done up, then we'll ship there and arrive about 4 or 5 o'clock. They're just waiting for the tests to come back on some horses who were in the same barn as the horse with the suspected case of strangles. From what they're telling me, they're going to put all the horses shipping in for the Belmont in one barn all by themselves, so everybody is away from everybody else. They've been cleaning the barn and disinfecting everything from top to bottom, so I'm sure they'll have everything under control." Afleet Alex and jockey Jeremy Rose narrowly escaped disaster in the Preakness after clipping heels with Scrappy T at the head of the stretch and almost going down. Alex made an amazing recovery, and without missing a beat, went on to score an impressive 4 3/4-length victory. "He'll live in history after that race and he deserves it," said Rose. "That race will be shown for two decades. I don't know how to explain it. There was an unbelievable amount of fear. Obviously we wanted to get come back on our feet and not get run over by anyone. He lost maybe a half-length on Scrappy T and that's it. It was one of those things that you had to be on his back to understand how scary it is." The Belmont at this point looks to be a showdown between Afleet Alex and Kentucky Derby (gr. I) Giacomo, with several others with solid credentials also pointing for the 1 1/2-mile race. "None of them really scare me," Rose said. "All are very nice horses, very accomplished horses. They have to be to run in this race, but as long as Alex is under me, he does the talking. He just does what he does and pretty much silences everybody, especially after the Preakness. Now they are saying he can't go a mile and a half. Do you think it would have mattered in that race? If it were a mile and a half, how many more would we have won by?"

Host of contenders likely to challenge Giacomo, Afleet Alex in Belmont
The Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 11 at Belmont Park should generate plenty of buzz with the anticipated rematch of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Giacomo and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Afleet Alex. However, racing fans should not expect to see a small field. Several runners could use the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) as a prep race for the Belmont and at least eight other horses are being considered for the final jewel of the 2005 Triple Crown.Saturday's convincing Peter Pan winner Oratory, who took over easily when called upon to win by 4 3/4 lengths, could certainly justify a spot in the Belmont Stakes starting gate. The Peter Pan has consistently produced at least one starter for the Belmont, including five winners since 1975. Lemon Drop Kid in 1999 was the last Peter Pan winner to emerge victorious in the Belmont Stakes. Runner-up Reverberate, third-place finisher Golden Man, and fourth-place finisher Chekhov were also being considered prior to the Peter Pan.According to Andrew Byrnes, the New York Racing Association Stakes coordinator, other horses under consideration for the Belmont are Preakness runner-up Scrappy T, Andromeda's Hero, Southern Africa, Pinpoint, Buzzard's Bay, Sort It Out, A.P. Arrow, and Watchmon.

Jeremy Rose had one unprintable word pop into his mind aboard Afleet Alex when the horse was on the verge of crumpling to the dirt after his frightening collision with Scrappy T in the Preakness Stakes. Before Rose had time to consider any other words you can only think on television, he yanked the horse from the mane, restored balance and somehow turned a scare into a remarkable victory. When Rose finally got a chance to watch the replay, the jockey truly realized how close the race came to disaster."We were real close to hitting the ground hard," Rose said Monday from his home track of Delaware Park. "I knew we clipped heels hard. I knew we were right at the edge of where you hit the ground. It's a lot more dramatic when you see it in slow motion how close his head actually got." How close? Trainer Tim Ritchey guessed Afleet Alex's nose was about 4 inches from the ground. "No horse is supposed to do that in any race, let alone a great one of Preakness caliber," Rose said. "You're not supposed to jump up and, especially, keep running like that." While Afleet Alex will rest at Pimlico a few more days before heading to New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 11, Rose was back at work Sunday and Monday with mounts at Delaware Park. The location changed, but the result sure didn't Rose was a winner Monday aboard another Ritchey trained horse, Characterize. "It seems we're on a roll right now," said Rose after two mounts on a rainy, gloomy Monday. "It just seems we're very fortunate right now. All the horses in Tim's barn are running real well." Rose has as much to do with the success as anyone, right now. He's been nearly flawless on the horse and has Afleet Alex positioned as the favorite in the Belmont. Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby, beaten in the final strides by 50-1 long shot Giacomo. If Alex held on, a shot at the Triple Crown would have been on the line in the Belmont. Instead, Rose will have to settle for a chance at winning the final two legs of the Triple Crown.

Jeremy Rose had one unprintable word pop into his mind aboard Afleet Alex when the horse was on the verge of crumpling to the dirt after his frightening collision with Scrappy T in the Preakness Stakes. Before Rose had time to consider any other words you can only think on television, he yanked the horse from the mane, restored balance and somehow turned a scare into a remarkable victory. When Rose finally got a chance to watch the replay, the jockey truly realized how close the race came to disaster."We were real close to hitting the ground hard," Rose said Monday from his home track of Delaware Park. "I knew we clipped heels hard. I knew we were right at the edge of where you hit the ground. It's a lot more dramatic when you see it in slow motion how close his head actually got." How close? Trainer Tim Ritchey guessed Afleet Alex's nose was about 4 inches from the ground. "No horse is supposed to do that in any race, let alone a great one of Preakness caliber," Rose said. "You're not supposed to jump up and, especially, keep running like that." While Afleet Alex will rest at Pimlico a few more days before heading to New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 11, Rose was back at work Sunday and Monday with mounts at Delaware Park. The location changed, but the result sure didn't Rose was a winner Monday aboard another Ritchey trained horse, Characterize. "It seems we're on a roll right now," said Rose after two mounts on a rainy, gloomy Monday. "It just seems we're very fortunate right now. All the horses in Tim's barn are running real well." Rose has as much to do with the success as anyone, right now. He's been nearly flawless on the horse and has Afleet Alex positioned as the favorite in the Belmont. Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby, beaten in the final strides by 50-1 long shot Giacomo. If Alex held on, a shot at the Triple Crown would have been on the line in the Belmont. Instead, Rose will have to settle for a chance at winning the final two legs of the Triple Crown.

Jeremy Rose had one unprintable word pop into his mind aboard Afleet Alex when the horse was on the verge of crumpling to the dirt after his frightening collision with Scrappy T in the Preakness Stakes. Before Rose had time to consider any other words you can only think on television, he yanked the horse from the mane, restored balance and somehow turned a scare into a remarkable victory. When Rose finally got a chance to watch the replay, the jockey truly realized how close the race came to disaster."We were real close to hitting the ground hard," Rose said Monday from his home track of Delaware Park. "I knew we clipped heels hard. I knew we were right at the edge of where you hit the ground. It's a lot more dramatic when you see it in slow motion how close his head actually got." How close? Trainer Tim Ritchey guessed Afleet Alex's nose was about 4 inches from the ground. "No horse is supposed to do that in any race, let alone a great one of Preakness caliber," Rose said. "You're not supposed to jump up and, especially, keep running like that." While Afleet Alex will rest at Pimlico a few more days before heading to New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 11, Rose was back at work Sunday and Monday with mounts at Delaware Park. The location changed, but the result sure didn't Rose was a winner Monday aboard another Ritchey trained horse, Characterize. "It seems we're on a roll right now," said Rose after two mounts on a rainy, gloomy Monday. "It just seems we're very fortunate right now. All the horses in Tim's barn are running real well." Rose has as much to do with the success as anyone, right now. He's been nearly flawless on the horse and has Afleet Alex positioned as the favorite in the Belmont. Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby, beaten in the final strides by 50-1 long shot Giacomo. If Alex held on, a shot at the Triple Crown would have been on the line in the Belmont. Instead, Rose will have to settle for a chance at winning the final two legs of the Triple Crown.

The Preakness Stakes on Saturday might be drawing the most interest this week at Pimlico, but it could be argued that the best race of the week will be run the day before, when an outstanding field of older horses, headed by Funny Cide, competes in the Grade 1, $500,000 Pimlico Special. Funny Cide won the Preakness here in 2003, two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. The Special, run at the Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles, was supposed to be part of Funny Cide's campaign in 2004, but unseasonably hot weather that week caused trainer Barclay Tagg to keep Funny Cide out of the race. This year, Funny Cide will be making his seasonal debut in the Special. The weather is mild. And Funny Cide is raring to go, having completed his serious preparation with a seven-furlong drill in 1:25.40 on Sunday morning at Belmont Park. "He's doing great," Tagg said Monday from Belmont. "I sure am eager to see him run. He likes it there. And the timing is right for me." Funny Cide got a late start this year. He needed extra time in Florida to recover from a minor injury in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, then had to work off a few extra pounds he picked up. He was scheduled to run in a New York-bred stakes race last month, but Tagg balked at his hefty weight assignment. As it turns out, the late start works for Tagg, who thinks Funny Cide might have been over the top at the end of his 2003 and 2004 campaigns. "Both times he ran in the Breeders' Cup he had to ship into hot climates," Tagg said. "He ran in the Triple Crown in 2003, and last year he had run nine times before the Breeders' Cup. It's not like he was sleeping. This year, he'll have six races. Other than Friday, he'll run in New York. This year the Breeders' Cup is at Belmont. The weather should be cool. And it'll be in our own back yard. I want to have him a bit fresh for it." Funny Cide drew post 2 in the field of nine for the Special. His rivals include the first three finishers from the Oaklawn Handicap - Grand Reward, Second of June, and Eddington - as well as Pollard's Vision and Badge of Silver, the one-two finishers in the National Jockey Club Handicap at Hawthorne, and Offlee Wild, who comes off a powerful win in the Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap at Aqueduct. "It looks like a very competitive spot to me," said Richard Dutrow Jr., who trains Offlee Wild. The Special is the 11th race on a 12-race card. Also Friday, trainer Todd Pletcher will run either Ashado or Colony Band in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pimlico Distaff at 1 1/16 miles for older fillies and mares. The other will run in the Shuvee Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday. Runway Model, who was sixth in the Kentucky Oaks, will look to rebound in the Grade 2, $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, which drew a moderate field of six 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles. The wickedly fast Maddalena is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Grade 3, $100,000 Miss Preakness Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs. Nicole's Dream, who won the Mamzelle Stakes at Churchill Downs, meets Elusive Diva in the $75,000 The Very One Stakes at five furlongs on turf for older fillies and mares.

April 11, 1986 - Bree's Brief, driven by John Campbell, wins the Overbid final in 1:56.1 at The Meadowlands in New Jersey.April 12, 1933 - Jack 'The Ripper' Bailey, the all-time leading driver at Vernon Downs in New York, is born in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He wins more than 3,300 career races.April 14, 1990 - Mark Johnathan, driven by Mike Lachance, wins the Berry's Creek in 1:54 at The Meadowlands.April 14, 1991 - Ed Huntbach becomes the sixth driver in history to win eight races on a single program, accomplishing the feat at Kingston Park Raceway in Ontario.April 15, 1997 - Dave Palone wins his 5,000th race, driving Know How to victory at The Meadows in Pennsylvania.April 16, 1994 - Arrive At Five, driven by John Campbell, wins the Freehold Cup Invitational in 1:52.3 at Freehold Raceway in New Jersey.April 17, 1988 - Mack Lobell wins the Coors Silver Bullet Invitational Trot in 1:57.3 at Raceway Park in Ohio.

Now that you've recovered from the shock of Giacomo winning the Kentucky Derby at 50-1, as well as being a Daley Longshot Special, it's time to focus on the 130th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore next Saturday. While you'll be hearing much about the chances of the new shooters, those who skipped the Derby awaiting the Preakness, one fact is unmistakably clear: The Preakness winner will come from the Kentucky Derby. Other than Red Bullet's tally in 2000, in 18 of the last 19 years a horse who raced in the Derby won the Preakness Stakes. Some of them have been generous prices, such as Risen Star (1988, 6-1), Hansel (1991, 9-1), Louis Quatorze (1996, 8-1) and Charismatic (1999, 8-1). Afleet Alex, third in the Derby, will most likely be the Preakness favorite next week, but Giacomo will be disrespected as Charismatic was in 1999, and others could wake up at more than reasonable odds, especially High Fly, Greeley's Galaxy or Going Wild. Regarding the Derby angle in the Preakness, Jim Mazur, in his Triple Crown Handicapper 2005, points out that in the past 19 years, 194 horses have competed in the Preakness, with approximately 55 percent of those starters coming from the Derby. According to Mazur, about 10 winners would be expected out of the Derby sample. In reality, as stated above, 18 winners of the Preakness emerged, or 172 percent more than expected. In fact, if you extend the statistics to the last 36 Preaknesses, 32 have been won by horses exiting the Kentucky Derby. That's a powerful stat. It's pretty much a given, because of Giacomo's extreme wakeup, the low Beyer Derby figure of 100, and the way the Kentucky Derby was run (fast early-slow late), that the “Now” horses, newcomers A.P. Arrow, Golden Man, Hal's Image, Malibu Moonshine and Scrappy T. will receive a disproportionate amount of attention in the coming seven days, even at the betting windows. Though none will win, a horse like King Leatherbury's Malibu Moonshine could sneak into the exotics. One or more may help make your superfecta, though not to the tune of $634,689 as in the Derby. Here are some capsule comments on the newcomers. Keep in mind that the average winning Beyer figure for the Preakness Stakes is 106. A.P. Arrow -- Still a maiden after two starts, including a ninth in the Santa Anita Derby. Top Beyer figure of 86. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Would need to show huge improvement. Golden Man -- Claimed by Richard Dutrow Jr. for owners Sandy Goldfarb, Michael Dubb, and Ira Davis for $60,000 on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park. They also own Sis City, who lost the Kentucky Oaks at 3-5 odds. Will be supplemented to the Preakness for $100,000. Broke his maiden in a $12,500 claiming race in December at Calder and is 4-11 lifetime, though he defeated Derby entrant Coin Silver at Gulfstream in April. Jockey Edgar Prado is high on the horse but may ride Sun King if entered by Zito. Dutrow is from Maryland originally. Hal's Image -- From the same barn and family who brought you Hal's Hope several years ago. Has won only two of 16 starts but did win the $100,000 Unbridled Stakes at Calder in his last out. Has yet to finish ahead of such noted contemporaries as B.B. Best, Favre, Closing Argument, Sun King, Survivalist, High Fly, or Magna Graduate. Top Beyer figure of 85. Look elsewhere. Malibu Moonshine -- Is 6 for 10 lifetime for noted Maryland trainer, King Leatherbury. Won the Tesio Stakes over the track on April 23, but the Beyer figure of 82 is low. Still, raced competitively in the Battaglia at Turfway Park with Magna Graduate and Pavo, two nice horses. Is at home and jockey Steve Hamilton knows the track. Would not be a complete surprise, especially in the exotic wagers. Scrappy T -- Won the Withers (Gr. 3) Stakes at Aqueduct last out over Park Avenue Ball, posting a nice Beyer figure of 102 and continues to train well. Has a good deal of natural speed and trainer Robbie Bailes is interested to see if the son of Fit to Fight can carry that speed a distance. Still, could not keep up with Bellamy Road in the Wood. Could be one of those “wise guy” horses who take a lot of money and inflate the price on the true winner. Jockey Ramon Dominguez, who rode High Limit in the Derby, will get the mount. After Dominguez' pre-Derby comments about High Limit's lack of seasoning, he and trainer Bobby Frankel are most assuredly better off parting company.

Two contenders for Saturday's Kentucky Derby (gr. I) – Illinois Derby (gr. II) winner Greeley's Galaxy and Louisiana Derby (gr. II) victor High Limit -- went through their final paces following the track maintenance break at Churchill Downs Wednesday. Greeley's Galaxy, who will be supplemented to the Derby at a cost of $200,000 by owner B. Wayne Hughes, breezed five-eighths of a mile in 1:01 3/5 under exercise . A son of Mr. Greeley trained by 83-year-old Warren Stute, Greeley's Galaxy has won three in a row since finishing sixth in his career debut. Stute said the work could "have been a little faster, but it was allright." Before the workout, Stute told exercise rider Mikki Fincher he wanted a "minute if he could." Asked if the colt is fit, Stute said "He had better be." "He felt fabulous," Fincher said. "The track was a little deep and he finished very well." Gary and Mary West's High Limit, winner of his first three career starts before finishing second in the Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I), zipped a half-mile in :48 1/5 with Jose Cuevos aboard. Trained by Bobby Frankel, High Limit is a 3-year-old son of Maria's Mon. "He worked fine," Frankel said. "I wanted him to go between :48 and :49 and that's what he did." Frankel said the colt will walk Thursday, jog once and gallop rest of the week. The two workouts were the highlight of Wednesday's morning activities at the Louisville, Ky. track. Later in the day, Derby entries will be taken at the racing office and a draw is to be conducted to determine the order in which Derby post positions will be selected by the connections of the Derby horses. The post position draw begins at 5 p.m. and televised live on ESPN.