INDOMITABLE! — AFLEET ALEX TAKES THE BELMONT

Thoroughbred horse racing's "feel good" story of the year continued on Saturday, June 11, in the 137th running of the Belmont Stakes. What was touted as a showdown between Kentucky Derby long-shot winner, Giacomo, and the plucky Preakness victor, Afleet Alex, turned into a 7-length romp for the 3-year-old son of Northern Afleet.

The third and final leg of the Visa Triple Crown series, the 1-mile Belmont Stakes has always been billed as the ultimate test of champions. Afleet Alex proved himself worthy of both the crown and the title. Since his initial appearance on the Triple Crown trail, his detractors have raised questions with regard to his pedigree, his trainer's unorthodox methods and his jockey's inexperience in classic races... their questions were answered with authority; "Team Alex" reigns supreme.

Should'a Won the Triple Crown
Celebrating in the winner's circle for the 8th time in 12 starts were jubilant owners, Cash is King, LLC partnership, trainer Tim Ritchey and a humble Jeremy Rose, who told NBC's Donna Brothers that he believed Afleet Alex "should have won the Triple Crown," referring to Alex's third place finish at Churchill Downs. "I messed up," Rose said. "I know he's the best 3-year-old, and he didn't win the Derby. You can't blame Tim, and you can't blame Alex. So if you have to blame someone, blame me."

Lessening the sting of a "failed" Triple Crown bid, the connections to Afleet Alex took home some serious hardware and pocketed a $600,000 winner's share of the $1 million gross purse, moving the colt's total earnings to $2,765,800 from a 12-8-2-1 lifetime record. Not a bad return on investment for an initial purchase price of $75,000. In victory, Afleet Alex became just the 11th horse to win both the Preakness and the Belmont after running in the Derby, joining such greats as Native Dancer, Nashua and Damascus.

The Story Behind the Story
That's pretty heady stuff, considering the colt's auspicious beginning. When his dam, Maggy Hawk, failed to produce enough milk for the colt shortly after his birth, it was left to Florida breeder, John Silvertand, and his 9-year-old daughter Lauren to keep Alex alive, bottle feeding the foal round the clock, until a nurse mare could be found. Afleet Alex has repaid that dedication and is credited with helping to prolong the life of his breeder, following a terminal cancer prognosis.

Should there be a dry eye left in the crowd, we would be remiss if we failed to mention the most poignantly absent benefactor of Afleet Alex's victory... young Alex Scott, the founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand. The stand was started by 4-year-old Alex Scott, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pediatric cancer just two days prior to her first birthday in 1997. Sadly, Alex died last August, but her family has soldiered on. After reading about the young girl, the colt's owners and trainer became a major part of the fund-raising efforts with a portion of Afleet Alex's earnings being donated to the fund. With her bright yellow lemonade stands in evidence at most every track open for racing on Belmont day, the total raised thus far is in excess of $2 million and climbing. All monies will benefit pediatric cancer research.

As for short-priced Giacomo's race, jockey Mike Smith reported that the colt had flipped his pallet. With his breathing severely compromised, he faded to a disappointing seventh-place finish. Trainer Nick Zito finally hit the board in this year's Triple Crown series with one of his three entries, Andromeda's Hero. It marked Zito's sixth runner-up finish in the Belmont, just one year after playing spoiler to Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid with Birdstone. Nolan's Cat, who was winless in five previous starts, was 6-lengths behind in third. Indy Storm finished fourth, followed by A.P. Arrow, Chekhov, Giacomo, Southern Africa, Watchmon, Reverberate and Pinpoint.

Possible Horse of the Year? And for the future? Afleet Alex should be well on his way to a "Horse of the Year" title, with Eclipse Awards all around. Still to come, trainer Tim Ritchey has mentioned a possible start in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth, with the Travers Stakes at Saratoga also a prime target. Ultimately, all sights are set on the prestigious Breeder's Cup races in October, to be run on the Belmont oval.

On a parting note, consider this...the mating of prized broodmare Maggy Hawk and Northern Afleet has proven fortuitous indeed. Earlier the same day, Afleet Alex's full brother, 4-year-old Unforgettable Max (G2 stakes placed) also notched a win at Monmouth Park, improving his bankroll to $374,579. Cha-Ching!

For more information on Afleet Alex, visit www.afleetalex.com, or to make a donation to pediatric cancer research via Alex's Lemonade Stand, visit www.alexslemonade.com.