new york wagering belmont stakes

Winner of last three starts faces tough Acorn field

2005-06-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Winner of last three starts faces tough Acorn fieldBELMONT, N.Y. - The first Saturday in June last year at Belmont Park brings back bad memories for trainer John Servis, who saw his chance of making racing history fall one length short when Smarty Jones was denied the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown by Birdstone.Servis hopes for more pleasant memories on the first Saturday in June this year. That's when Servis returns to Belmont to saddle Round Pond in the $250,000 Acorn Stakes. The Grade 1 Acorn is run at one mile.Round Pond, a daughter of Awesome Again, has won her last three starts, including the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 15. Never intending to run her in the Kentucky Oaks, Servis was pointing Round Pond to the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico on May 20. But upon returning East from Oaklawn, Round Pond got sick and missed some training time, which forced her to miss the Black-Eyed Susan.Since resuming training, Round Pond has put in a solid work tab that includes a five-furlong drill in 57.71 seconds Monday at Philadelphia Park."She's getting better every week,'' Servis said Wednesday from Philadelphia Park. "She's a late May foal and it took a little time for her to come around.''Round Pond didn't debut until February, when she finished third in a six-furlong maiden race at Oaklawn. She caught some traffic trouble that day, but according to Servis, Round Pond galloped out past the field after the wire.Stewart Elliott, who was the regular rider of Smarty Jones, will be here from Monmouth to ride Round Pond.Round Pond will face a solid field that includes Kentucky Oaks runner-up In the Gold, La Troienne winner Seek a Star, Nassau County winner Seeking the Ante, Spinaway and Matron winner Sense of Style, Hollywood Starlet winner Splendid Blended, and Smuggler.Rockport Harbor back in trainingServis reported that Rockport Harbor, his talented 3-year-old colt, galloped Wednesday at Philadelphia Park for the first time since finishing sixth in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 23."He's been training for five days,'' Servis said. "Today we turned him around and galloped him and he went super. We're moving forward.''Rockport Harbor won all four of his starts at 2, but is 0 for 2 this year. His troubles began when he got stepped on during the running of the Remsen last November. Servis was battling problems with Rockport Harbor's right rear foot as well as a blood clot in the colt's neck this spring while trying to get him ready for the Triple Crown. Rockport Harbor finished second in the Rebel Stakes before the Lexington.Regarding the foot, Servis said, "Don't expect that to be an issue the rest of the year.''At the time Rockport Harbor was pulled from the Triple Crown trail, owner Rick Porter and Servis expressed hope he could make races such as the Haskell and Travers later this summer."He usually comes around pretty fast, he's such a big striding horse,'' Servis said. "I don't have any set goals. We'll see how he comes along and choose a spot when we get closer.''

Afleet Alex Impressive In Wednesday Breeze

2005-06-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Afleet Alex Impressive In Wednesday Breeze
Preakness winner Afleet Alex breezed five-furlongs in 1:01.60 at Pimlico Wednesday morning in preparation for the June 11 Belmont Stakes. Regular rider Jeremy Rose was aboard for the 8:45 a.m. workout. Pimlico clocker Bryan Walls recorded fractions of 14 seconds (one-furlong), 26.40 (one quarter), 38 (three-furlongs) and 49.80 (half-mile). Afleet Alex galloped out in 1:14.2 for three quarters and 1:29 for seven-eighths of a mile. “I think he did everything very well,” said trainer Tim Ritchey. “Our plan was to start out easy and let him finish strong. He did it very easily and came back very good out of it. 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.” Afleet Alex and Rose overcame near disaster to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. The duo came flying around the far turn with dead aim on the leader, Scrappy T, when he was suddenly blocked. Scrappy T, racing in front of him entering the lane, suddenly bore out in response to left-handed whipping by jockey Ramon Dominguez. In a flash Afleet Alex stumbled, buckled to his knees and almost unseated Rose. The athletic colt and his 26-year-old pilot quickly recovered their balance, dove inside Scrappy T and charged to a widening 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.” Eleven days after his remarkable victory in the 130th Preakness Stakes®, the son of Northern Afleet is still at Old Hilltop. He was scheduled to leave the Pimlico stakes barn last Saturday and work at Belmont Park, but due to the suspected case of strangles at the Long Island track, Ritchey has elected to keep Afleet Alex at Pimlico until New York Racing Association officials have control of the situation. “I didn’t want to put his health at risk and would never do that,” added Ritchey. “I would have liked to have been at Belmont to have him train over that racetrack. Just like I came here early (May 11) I would have liked to have gotten there early. That wasn’t meant to be, so we’ll work with what we have. Hopefully we can ship on Saturday.” Although the Belmont Stakes is 10 days away, the 1 ½-mile “Test of the Champion” is expected to serve as a rubber match between Afleet Alex and Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo. Another seven contenders are also considering the $1 million classic. “None of them really scare me,” explained Rose. “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 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?” Ritchey said his star will walk the shedrow Thursday. The plan is to jog and gallop Friday. Prior to Saturday’s likely ship Belmont, Afleet Alex will train lightly and hopefully leave Baltimore during the 11 o’clock hour.

Buzzards Bay to Pass on Belmont Stakes

2005-06-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Fog City Stables' Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Buzzards Bay will not make his next start in the June 11 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) as previously planned, trainer Jeff Mullins revealed Tuesday morning. The Florida-bred son of Marco Bay will instead start next in the $400,000 Swaps Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II) at Hollywood Park on July 9 or the $750,000 West Virginia Derby (gr. III) at Mountaineer Park on Aug. 15, or both. Both events are restricted to sophomores and will be contested at nine furlongs on the dirt. Buzzards Bay last raced in the May 7 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), finishing fifth and just 6 1/4 lengths behind Giacomo at odds of more than 45-1. "He's going to be a better older campaigner," Mullins said. "I really don't want to run him at a mile and a half, so we'll wait for a better spot for him. He's nominated to both races." On Monday morning, Buzzards Bay worked six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 over Santa Anita's fast main track with exercise rider Amy Mullins aboard. The move was the third-fastest of five who went the distance on the morning. Though Mullins will be watching the Belmont from home, he says he'll be rooting for Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Afleet Alex. He firmly believes the son of Northern Afleet is the division leader despite his loss in the Derby and absolutely the horse to beat in the Belmont Stakes. "What an animal," Mullins said. "Any horse who can go to his knees at the quarter pole, get up and win by five; you'd better fear him. He should have been the Eclipse Award winner last year. No disrespect intended toward Declan's Moon, who's obviously a nice horse, but where did he go? He never left California. Afleet Alex raced all over and was a length short of perfect." In addition to the Santa Anita Derby, Buzzards Bay won the Golden Gate Derby and was third in the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III). From nine starts, he's reached the winner's circle three times, with a second and two thirds, for earnings of $619,440.

Zito Assistant Abreu to Train for Whitney Stable

2005-05-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Maylou Whitney and her husband, John Hendrickson, who won the grade I Belmont Stakes and Travers last year and the Kentucky Oaks in 2003, have hired Nick Zito assistant Reynaldo Abreu as their private trainer. Abreu, who has been with Zito since 2002, also worked for top trainers D. Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher, and John Ward. He will take over the 14 horses owned by Whitney this week and will be stabled at the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga, just a few barns away from Zito. "Reynaldo had been getting a little itchy and wanted to try training on his own," Zito said. "He was considering going down to Florida to train but, when Marylou and John kept talking about wanting to have a private trainer, I suggested Reynaldo. "John had been asking me for years to train privately, but I have too many good owners, and I just couldn't become a private trainer, and I felt this would work, especially since Reynaldo was going to go out on his own anyway. I'm rewarding him the way he rewarded us in the time he's been here." "We've always liked Reynaldo," Hendrickson said. "He's a terrific horseman and Nick recommended him highly, so we're very happy with the arrangement." Zito added, "Marylou and John have been great to me, and they've been friends with Reynaldo. We've all made history together. Reynaldo knows our system, so it seemed like the perfect match. I'm really happy for Reynaldo and for Marylou. I told Reynaldo he's the luckiest young guy alive. Every trainer in America is going to be envious of him. "He's getting 14 horses, with lots of well-bred young horses by sires such as Empire Maker and Mineshaft coming up. They're going to pay all the bills and pay him a percentage and a salary, just like the private stables used to do in the old days. You tell me, for a guy starting out, how are you going to do better than that? What's also good about it is that he's got John, who gets a lot of the credit in building Marylou's operation back up. This is what Reynaldo has always wanted to do, and now he has the greatest opportunity ever for somebody starting out." Zito saddled his last horse for Whitney on Sunday in the seven-furlong Jaipur Handicap (gr. IIIT), finishing third with Gulch Approval.

Lion Tamer Leads Lone Star Million Menu

2005-05-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Thirty-seven stakes winners, including Cigar Mile (gr. I) champ Lion Tamer, were among the 48 horses entered for Monday's seventh annual Lone Star Million at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Memorial Day six-pack of stakes races - anchored by the $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) and $200,000 WinStar Distaff (gr. IIIT) – is annually the most lucrative day in Texas horse racing, with prize money exceeding $1 million. Lone Star Park HandicapMichael Tabor's Lion Tamer, conditioned by Todd Pletcher, drew post position 4 and was made the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 older horses for the Lone Star Park Handicap. Jerry Bailey, North America's champion jockey in seven of the last nine years, has the mount on Lion Tamer and will ride in three other stakes on the Lone Star program that begins at 1:35 p.m. CT. Last November, Lion Tamer, a 5-year-old son of Will's Way, spoiled the sprint championship hopes of Pico Central when he rolled from last to win the one-turn Cigar Mile at Aqueduct by 1 ¼ lengths at odds of 12-1. It was his eighth victory (and fourth graded stakes win). Since then, Lion Tamer finished second as the favorite in the Richter Scale Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park and fifth in the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at Keeneland on April 16. Lion Tamer is one of 13 graded stakes winners to run Monday at Lone Star. Six graded stakes winners help comprise the Lone Star Park Handicap and four graded stakes winners were entered in the WinStar Distaff, a one-mile turf race for fillies and mares. Also in the Lone Star Park Handicap field are High Strike Zone and Supah Blitz, one-two finishers in the Texas Mile (gr. III) on April 30. Locally-based High Strike Zone will attempt to join Dixie Dot Com, the 2001 winner, as the only horses to complete "The Texas Two Step" – a sweep of Lone Star's two graded stakes on dirt for older horses worth $300,000 a piece. The complete Lone Star Park Handicap (Race 9, 5:29 p.m. CT) field, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, assigned weight and morning line odds):1. Supah Blitz (Jon Court, Doug O'Neill, 118, 5-2) 2. Absent Friend (Roman Chapa, Cole Norman, 115, 8-1) 3. Yessirgeneralsir (Justin Shepherd, 116, 12-1) 4. Lion Tamer (Jerry Bailey, Todd Pletcher, 120, 8-5) 5. Snorter (Jaime Theriot, Cole Norman, 116, 20-1) 6. High Strike Zone (Ricky Faul, Amos Laborde, 118, 10-1) 7. Majestic Thief (Cliff Berry, Cody Autrey, 114, 30-1) 8. Skip and Go (Ken Tohill, Jose Gonzalez Jr., 115, 20-1) 9. Wishingitwas (Jeremy Beasley, Bart Evans, 115, 20-1) 10. Cryptograph (Don Pettinger, Donnie K. Von Hemel, 116, 5-1) WinStar DistaffCalifornia invader Valentine Dancer was made the early 5-2 favorite for the WinStar Distaff, contested at a mile on the tuff. Al and Sandee Kirkwood's millionaire and two-time Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf winner is the co-starting highweight at 120 pounds with 3-1 second betting choice Katdogawn. "You got to be one of two things to earn over a million dollars: you've got to be good or lucky," trainer Craig Lewis said of Valentine Dancer. "She's been both - good and lucky." Both Lewis and Katdogawn's trainer Wally Dollase cited the timing of the race, the race distance, and the $200,000 purse as reasons for bringing their charges to Texas. Katdogawn, third in last year's WinStar Distaff while trained by Jim Cassidy, finished fifth in the Jenny Wiley (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland in her last start. "She ran poorly last time because of the circumstances," Dollase said. "She just didn't care for the course at Keeneland. It was hard on her and extremely firm. But she's trained forwardly since then, and we're expecting another good effort." The complete WinStar Distaff Handicap (Race 8, 4:59 CT) field, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, assigned weight and morning line odds):1. Paz Ciudadana-CHI (Justin Shepherd, Steve Asmussen, 117, 9-2) 2. Valentine Dancer (Jon Court, Craig Lewis, 120, 5-2) 3. Marwood (Larry Taylor, Stephen Margolis, 117, 10-1) 4. My Misty Princess (Jaime Theriot, Dallas Keen, 117, 8-1) 5. Blue Song (Ken Tohill, Jose Gonzalez Jr., 115, 30-1) 6. Bonnie J. (Jeremy Beasley, Jack Young, 114, 20-1) 7. Tara's Touch-SAF (Larry Melancon, Niall O'Callaghan, 116, 15-1) 1 a-Voz De Colegiala-CHI (Roman Chapa, Steve Asmussen, 115, 9-2) 8. Katdogawn-GB (Jerry Bailey, Wally Dollase, 120, 3-1) 9. Queena Corrina (Don Pettinger, Donnie K. Von Hemel, 117, 10-1) 10. Janeian-NZ (Quincy Hamilton, Bret Calhoun, 117, 12-1) 11. Yoursmineours (Cliff Berry, Donnie K. Von Hemel, 114, 20-1) Paz Ciudadana and Voz De Colegiala Nelson Bunker Hunt-owned entry. Pin Oak Stud USA StakesFive-time stakes winner Dubleo, also from the Pletcher barn, tries to regain his winning form in the $200,000 Pin Oak Stud USA Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for 3-year-olds that drew nine entrants. Jerry Bailey has the mount on the 7-5 morning line favorite that will break from post 5. Dubleo, winner of the Summer Stakes (Can-II) at Woodbine and Generous Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Hollywood Park as a 2-year-old, has faded to fourth in each of his last two starts after being forwardly placed in the early stages. Dubleo will tackle the top three finishers in the April 30 Grand Prairie Prairie Turf Challenge at Lone Star: Jazzy Gallop and Smooth Bid, two from the Steve Asmussen barn who were separated by a nose, and third place finisher Justa Red Bird. Mad Adam, runner-up in the $100,000 Forerunner Stakes at Keeneland, was also entered after being sent to trainer Barry Germany. The complete Pin Oak Stud USA Stakes (Race 10, 5:59 CT) field, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): 2. Smooth Bid (Justin Shepherd, Steve Asmussen, 5-1) 1. Dixie Meister (Jeremy Beasley, Barry Germany, 7-2) 3. Justa Red Bird (Cliff Berry, Michelle Lovell, 20-1) 4. Major League (Terry Stanton, Paul Murphy, 20-1) 5. Dubleo (Jerry Bailey, Todd Pletcher, 7-5) 6. Munificence (Jaime Theriot, Jim Hudson, 20-1) 7. Jazzy Gallop (Roman Chapa, Steve Asmussen, 3-1) 8. Barometer Rising (Quincy Hamilton, Danny Pish, 15-1) 1. a-Mad Adam (Jon Court, Barry Germany, 7-2) Dixie Meister and Mad Adam will run coupled as a Millennium Farms-owned entry. Stonerside StakesTrue Tails, the fleet-footed Southwest filly conditioned by high-percentage trainer Cole Norman, will be tested by invaders from California and Kentucky in Monday's $150,000 Stonerside Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Northern California stakes winner R Fast Lady and Kentucky-based Hot Attraction and Forever Brilliant flew to Texas to challenge True Tails, who will face the longest race of her career at seven furlongs. Marie Troncone's True Tails, the 7-5 morning line favorite who will break from the rail, has won four races and $112,330 in seven starts, with two seconds and a third. The combined winning margin of her four victories is 26 ¾ lengths, including a 7 ¾-length romp last time out in the Wafare Farm Stakes at six furlongs on April 23. In the Wafare, True Tails exploded to an eight-length lead while crossing the half-mile marker in an eye-catching :43.72. Stan Fulton's R Fast Lady rallied from last to win the $62,000 Winner's Foundation Stakes at Bay Meadows for trainer Eoin Harty. Bob and Beverly Lewis' Hot Attraction, to be ridden by Jerry Bailey, is graded stakes-placed and cruised to a 7 ¼-length win at Keeneland on April 22. Forever Brilliant won a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs by 1 ½ lengths after finishing second in an $85,000 stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs. The complete Stonerside Stakes (Race 5, 3:29 p.m. CT) field, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): 1. True Tails (Jaime Theriot, Cole Norman, 7-5) 2. Airizon (Quincy Hamilton, John Locke, 15-1) 3. Hot Attraction (Larry Melancon, Wally Dollase, 4-1) 4. R Fast Lady (Jon Court, Eoin Harty, 5-2) 5. Forever Brilliant (Jerry Bailey, Tom Proctor, 3-1) Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint HandicapTop Commander, powerful 1 ½-length winner of the Grade III Count Fleet Sprint Handicap in his last start, will return to the turf for Monday's $100,000 Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint Handicap. The 5-year-old gelding trained by Norman is the 121-pound highweight in the field of six older horses and was made the 4-5 morning line favorite in the five-furlong turf sprint. The complete Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint Handicap field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, assigned weight and morning line odds): 1. Run Zeal Run (Jeremy Beasley, George Northrop Jr., 115, 15-1) 2. Orphan Brigade (Roman Chapa, Bret Calhoun, 116, 6-1) 3. Artesian (Casey Lambert, Bart Hone, 115, 15-1) 4. Oncearoundtwice (Quincy Hamilton, John Locke, 115, 8-1) 5. The Niner Account (Cliff Berry, Martin Lozano, 119, 5-2) 6. Top Commander (Jaime Theriot, Cole Norman, 121, 4-5) Valid Expectations StakesBrenda and Philip Robertson's swift 6-year-old mare Savorthetime, a five-time stakes winner from the Asmussen barn, will defend her title against five fillies and mares in Monday's $100,000 Valid Expectations Stakes. She's an early 4-5 choice to do so. In last year's renewal, the daughter of Gilded Time ran the fastest six furlongs in Lone Star Park history when she stopped the teletimer in a sizzling 1:07.82. The complete Valid Expectations Stakes field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): 1. Stirrin Up a Storm (Larry Taylor, "Bubba" Cascio, 15-1) 2. Savorthetime (Roman Chapa, Steve Asmussen, 4-5) 3. Miss Smart Strike (Ricky Faul, Chad Hassenpflug, 20-1) 4. Where Is My Daddy (Justin Shepherd, Cole Norman, 10-1) 5. Bar Bailey (Ken Tohill, Jose Gonzalez Jr., 3-1) 6. Boston Express (Jaime Theriot, Cole Norman, 4-1)

'Horse of the World' Ghostzapper Returns

2005-05-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Defending Horse of the Year Ghostzapper will make his first start of 2005 Monday when he goes off the favorite in Belmont Park's traditional Memorial Day feature, the $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). Originally the Stronach Stables runner was scheduled to make his seasonal debut in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) last month, but a sinus problem prevented him from starting there. As a result, the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) champion makes his season debut in the high-stature Met Mile. He'll carry top weight of 123 pounds. "The Breeders' Cup Classic was the best moment in my life," said jockey Javier Castellano, who has been up on Ghostzapper for eight of the colt's 10 starts. "I can't wait for him to run Monday. I've been waiting a long time." Ghostzapper appears ready for his first start of the year. He has recorded 13 workouts since the end of January and Castellano has been aboard for the last two, a pair of solid six-furlong breezes at Belmont. Ghostzapper breezed in 1:11 4/5 and 1:13 1/5 in those efforts. "His last two works have been so easy," Castellano said of the 1:11 4/5 and 1:13 1/5 breezes. "He's feeling great." "I'll probably be more nervous than excited Monday," said trainer Bobby Frankel, who kept Ghostzapper in the barn all winter even when he wasn't in training. "If he's 90 percent fit, he should win. I think I have him fit enough. I'd be disappointed and a little surprised if he lost. He's 'Horse of the World.'" Ghostzapper is not scheduled to leave New York until after the Oct. 29 Breeders' Cup. Other planned starts this year include the July 2 Suburban (gr. I), Aug. 6 Whitney (gr. I) at Saratoga, and the Sept. 10 Woodward (gr. I), all of which are longer than a mile. Ghostzapper will not run in a sprint this year after making his first seven career starts in sprints. "He's probably better going farther than six furlongs, but he's probably equally effective from seven furlongs to a mile and a half," Frankel said. "The big money races are not sprints, though." Forest Danger, owned by Aaron and Marie Jones, is the biggest threat in the Met. The Forestry colt won the Carter Handicap (gr. I) in his last start, the second stakes victory of his career. Forest Danger went the one-mile distance in the Withers (gr. II) last year when he finished second to Medallist, who was recently declared from the Met with a sesamoid injury. "I don't think the Withers is a fair race to judge him off of," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "He was coming back in three weeks that time, and he got hurt in the race. The thing I really liked about his Carter was that he galloped out very strongly afterwards, indicating that a mile is certainly within his scope." The speedy Forest Danger actually came from off the pace in the Carter, a dimension he had not shown since breaking his maiden. Pletcher chalked that up to jockey Rafael Bejarano not knowing the horse all that well. Regular rider John Velazquez will be back aboard for the Met Mile. Trainer Nick Zito is hoping a stretchout in distance will help Sir Shackleton regain top form after he was a disappointing fourth in the Churchill Downs Handicap (gr. II) going seven furlongs. "That race was way too fast," Zito said. "They ran three quarters in 1:07 4/5. He's a good miler, mile-and-a-sixteenth horse." Pomeroy finished just in front of Sir Shackleton in the Churchill Downs Handicap making his second start of the year. After winning the King's Bishop (gr. I) last year, trainer Pat Biancone opted to put Pomeroy away for the rest of the year in hopes of having a top sprinter or miler this year. Jay Em Ess Stable's Love of Money will come back in the Met Mile off short rest. Last year's runaway Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) winner returned off a layoff to score an easy win in the slop at Belmont Wednesday against an inferior group of allowance horses. Silver Wagon, the 2003 Hopeful (gr. I) winner owned by Buckram Oak Farm, is looking for his first stakes victory since he was a juvenile. He won his 2005 debut, a second-level allowance at Gulfstream and was recently third in the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at Keeneland.
$750,000 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I, Race 9, 2:35 p.m.), 3 & up, 1 mile1. Sir

Shackleton (KY), 116,Rafael Bejarano
Ghostzapper (KY), 123,Javier Castellano
Love of Money (MD), 116, Edgar Prado
Pomeroy (KY), 115, Gary Stevens
Silver Wagon (FL), 114, Cornelio Velasquez
Forest Danger (KY), 118, John Velazquez

Alex's Scheduled Arrival at Belmont Delayed

2005-05-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Alex's Scheduled Arrival at Belmont Delayed
Belmont precautions keep Preakness winner at Pimlico longer.Photo: Jeffrey Snyder(from Belmont Park notes)A suspected case of strangles will prevent Preakness (gr. I) winner Afleet Alex, the leader of the 3-year-old division and likely favorite for the 137th Belmont Stakes (gr. I) on June 11, from arriving at Belmont Park on Saturday as was previously scheduled. The suspected but unconfirmed case of strangles forced the quarantine of barn 60 at Belmont Park May 27 and the isolation of the filly, Lady Libby. Results of the tests, sent by overnight mail to the University of Illinois and to a local lab over the holiday weekend, will not be available until early next week. Afleet Alex, owned by Cash is King Stable LLC, was slated to work at Belmont Tuesday morning. Instead, he will work at Pimlico, weather permitting. "He might go six furlongs, but I'm not really sure of the distance yet," said trainer Tim Ritchey, who turned 54 Friday. "Mike Lakow (NYRA racing secretary) called me right away about the suspected strangles case, (for) which I am very appreciative. I can't take a shot shipping into New York right now with this horse and expose him to something. I talked to the people at Pimlico, and we'll stay here at least until Tuesday. By that time, NYRA will hopefully know what they are dealing with and have control of the situation." The Tuesday breeze will be Afleet Alex's first workout since his memorable Preakness victory May 21 when he overcame a heel-clipping incident at the top of the stretch to win the second leg of the Triple Crown by 4 ¾ lengths over Scrappy T. He has been jogging since Wednesday.

Southern Africa a go for Belmont Stakes

2005-05-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

After watching Walmac Lone Star Derby (G3) winner Southern Africa work four furlongs in :48 on Tuesday at Arlington Park, trainer Michael Puhich committed the son of Cape Town to the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 11 at Belmont Park. While Southern Africa had been considered "probable" for the final jewel of the 2005 Triple Crown, the workout convinced Puhich to go to Belmont. "He’s coming for sure," Puhich told Belmont officials. "I breezed him [Tuesday] just to make sure he’s still hitting on all cylinders. I don’t think the distance of the Belmont will be a factor for him." Puhich plans to work Southern Africa at Arlington one more time before shipping on either June 6 or June 7. Puhich has lined up Jon Court to ride in the Belmont. Court guided Southern Africa to a 1 1/4-length victory in the Lone Star Derby on May 14 at Lone Star Park. After finishing seventh in the Sham Stakes on February 5 at Santa Anita Park to open the season, Southern Africa won the Borderland Derby on February 27 at Sunland Park and finished second in the WinStar Derby on April 2 at Sunland. "He’s getting better every time he runs," Puhich said. "He deserves a shot at running against better horses."

Steve Haskin's Preakness Story: Bump and Run

2005-05-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Steve Haskin's Preakness Story: Bump and Run
Scrappy T (left) glides out into the path of eventual Preakness winner Afleet Alex.Photo: Rick SamuelsPublished in the May 28 issue of The Blood-Horse magazineThe day before the 130th Preakness Stakes (gr. I), jockey Jeremy Rose said of Afleet Alex, "This horse will run over broken glass if I ask him to." Several weeks earlier at Churchill Downs, Liz Scott, mother of Alexandra "Alex" Scott, the 4-year-old girl who started the now-famous "Alex's Lemonade Stand" to raise money for cancer research, compared her daughter, who lost her battle with juvenile cancer last year, to Afleet Alex. "Alex was a fighter and determined," she said, "and watching this horse run definitely reminds me of her, with the same competitive, always-do-your-best attitude." On May 21, the prophetic words of Rose and Scott and the heart of Afleet Alex became etched in Preakness lore. For as long as they run races at historic Pimlico Race Course, there will be erected a monument in the mind at the head of the stretch, honoring the courage and athleticism of a small bay colt and the rider with whom he bonded. It all happened so quickly, yet the horrific image of Afleet Alex nearly falling after clipping heels will forever be seen in slow motion. If it were depicted in a movie or a documentary, it would be preceded with only the rhythmic cadence of a beating heart as a warning of the near-carnage that was about to ensue. Here was Afleet Alex, the horse whose life has been encompassed with one fairy tale saga after another, storming up on the outside of the leader, longshot Scrappy T. The record 115,318 fans in attendance erupted as they sensed the Cinderella story unfolding before them. But, in the blink of an eye, the scene changed. Jockey Ramon Dominguez reached back and gave Scrappy T a roundhouse left-handed whip, causing the colt to veer sharply to his right, and directly into the path of Afleet Alex. The crowd sensed something was wrong, as if watching a car blow its right front tire at the Indy 500 and spinning perilously out of control in front of oncoming traffic. Rose, who was expecting to see nothing but wide open spaces in front of him as he turned for home, suddenly was staring straight down into the brown Pimlico loam moving rapidly toward him. Afleet Alex had clipped Scrappy T's heels and stumbled so badly, his face and knees were only inches from the ground. Rose's arms were now fully extended, as his body lurched in the air. He could only hang on to the reins and hope the colt who had become such a special part of his life would be able to pull himself off the ground. "I think my heart stopped," Rose said. "I have no idea how I stayed on. The only reason I did was either Alex popped back up or little Alex (Scott) kept me on. I was basically hanging on in fear." In one of the most remarkable recoveries ever seen, Afleet Alex not only was able to stay on his feet and keep Rose on his back, he got right back to the business of winning the race as if nothing had happened. It took him only two strides to switch over to his right lead, and just as quickly and dramatically as the scene had changed, it returned to normal. The only difference was that Alex was now on the inside of Scrappy T instead of the outside, his eyes glaring and his ears pinned, as if incensed at Scrappy T for putting him through such an ordeal. Rose coolly regained his composure, and he and Alex quickly were back in sync, drawing off from Scrappy T to win by 4 3/4 lengths. Following the race, emotions collided. The ecstasy of victory was tempered slightly by the frightful images that still were fresh in the minds of trainer Tim Ritchey and the partners in Cash is King Stable, whose first purchase was Afleet Alex. "Unbelievable!" Ritchey exclaimed, his face still flushed. "I was horrified. I thought he was on the ground. He has the heart of a champion." Joe Lerro, one of the partners--along with Bob Brittingham, Joseph Judge, Jennifer Reeves, and managing partner Chuck Zacney--said, "Oh, God, that scared me to death. I love Alex, and I love Jeremy. What a ride!" For Zacney's wife, Carol, it didn't sink in until she was able to watch the replay while heading back to the stakes barn. She dreaded what was to come. When Alex almost went down, she clasped her hands in front of her mouth in shock. "Oh, my God. My baby!" she shouted, as tears quickly welled up with the realization of what might have happened to the horse she considered her pet and the jockey who calls her "mom." "My big fear is that something is going to happen, and I always have nightmares about it," she said. "My mom died 20 years ago, and she was a very superstitious Irish lady, and now she's leaving that legacy behind. I always ask her to ride with Alex and Jeremy. Chuck's dad passed away when he was five, so I say, 'Mom, find Mr. Zacney and ride with him.' And after seeing what almost happened, I have to believe she was there with him today, because that was a miracle." With all the connections of Afleet Alex being interviewed in an infield tent behind the winner's circle, a rainbow appeared to add to the ethereal flavor of the moment. One of the few to see it was Afleet Alex's breeder, John Silvertand, who has become a major part of the Afleet Alex fairy tale. Afleet Alex's dam, Maggy Hawk, a daughter of Hawkster, was unable to produce milk, and therefore could not provide her foal with colostrum, the antibody-rich fluid that helps prevent disease outside the womb. Because a foal has only a 10% chance of surviving without colostrum, a nurse mare had to be found for the son of Northern Afleet. During the 12 days it took to obtain one, Silvertand's then 9-year-old daughter, Lauren, fed the foal milk every day out of a Coors Lite bottle. A photo of Lauren feeding Alex eventually made its way onto the colt's Web site and into other publications. More than two years ago, Silvertand was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a couple of months to live. As Afleet Alex's career progressed, Silvertand decided to discontinue chemotherapy and leave it "in God's hands" in order to fully enjoy the experience. As the colt's fame grew, so did the story of Lauren. Before the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), Silvertand and his wife, Carolyn, were contacted by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and First Lady Dema Guinn, who said they were starting a cancer fund campaign and wanted to use the Silvertands' photo of Lauren to help bolster it. Now Silvertand stood, away from all the excitement of the Preakness' post-race celebration. "I've got the shakes," he said. "The way he picked himself up and came back on was just fabulous." Silvertand had traveled to Baltimore the day before the Preakness by himself from his home in Lake Worth, Fla. Although he had been feeling ill and was seriously thinking about staying home, he decided he had to be there for the race. This is what he had stayed alive to witness. "My CEA (cancer screening) counts had been going down, but they've started to go back up again," Silvertand said. "So, I'm going in for a series of tests next week to see if the cancer has returned. But whatever happens, I didn't expect to be here this long, so it's all been wonderful for me. I try to plan things around Alex to keep me going. Right now, I'm planning on being at the Belmont (gr. I), then the Travers (gr. I) in beautiful Saratoga, and the Breeders' Cup. I can see it all in my mind. I don't notice my pain because of all the excitement that's going on. Maybe when everything quiets down tonight I won't feel as good as everyone else, but I'm still going to feel pretty good. "This has been so much more than just a horse story. You have Alex's Lemonade Stand, which has been benefiting from all the publicity, and has gotten a great many people interested in horse racing. There are so many wonderful things in this world we will never get to see, and I'm just so glad to be here." Alex's Lemonade Stand and its connection to Afleet Alex has been well documented. Zacney, who had named Afleet Alex after his son, heard about Alex Scott, a young girl diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. Alex decided to open a lemonade stand in her front yard in order to raise money for cancer research. Word spread around the globe, and donations have now reached more than $2 million. When Zacney heard about it, he naturally thought of Afleet Alex, his son Alex, and two of the other partners' children, named Alex and Alexandra. He pledged $5,000 to the fund, and now donates a portion of Afleet Alex's winnings. Last August, Alex Scott lost her battle with cancer at age eight, but her lemonade stand lives on. It collected around $11,000 at the Kentucky Derby and $17,000 at the Preakness. All of Afleet Alex's merchandising material is emblazoned with a lemon, signifying its support of the fund, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand. Beyond the heart-warming fringes of the Afleet Alex story is Afleet Alex himself, and the unlikely cast of characters that surround him. "Our story is about the little guy," Lerro said. "They called us bush league owners. They said we had a bush league trainer and a bush league jockey. Well, guess what? They didn't know about the heart of a champion. A lot of people wish they had our horse now, and our trainer and jockey." Ritchey, a former show horse rider who nearly competed in the Olympics as a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, recalls his first meeting with the horse who would change his life. "Mr. Silvertand lost the horse on a coin toss following a foal-sharing agreement," he said. "He was considered an ugly duckling, and the person who won the toss (John Devers) sold him privately for $150,000 (to Joseph Allen). They broke him and put him in training, but the same advisers who told (Allen) to buy him, told him to get rid of him. So, he was consigned to the Fasig-Tipton Timonium sale as a 2-year-old." Ritchey, who was training at Delaware Park, had met Zacney through his brother and one of Zacney's best friends. Zacney had followed Ritchey's career and often bet on his horses. He called and asked if Ritchey would buy a horse for him and the new partnership he was forming, all of whose members were from the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area. "I wasn't taking on any new clients at the time," Ritchey said. "I already had a full stable. But he was a great guy and straightforward, and we really hit it off. I told him, 'Sure, you guys get a little group together and we'll go ahead and do something.' " That was in April 2004. One month later, Ritchey attended the Timonium sale with the intention of buying two horses. Ritchey picked out seven or eight colts he liked, one of whom was the son of Northern Afleet out of Maggy Hawk, consigned as agent by Robert Scanlon. "I found him to be an extremely athletic, intelligent, and laid-back horse," Ritchey recalled. "The first time I had him out of his stall, they walked him for me. I loved the way he walked and moved. There were other horses outside at the same time, and they were leaping in the air and rearing and striking, and he just stood there like a rock and kind of looked at them as if to say, 'What are you guys doing?' That really impressed me. We had the vet look at his X-rays and do all the vet work, and he passed with flying colors." Ritchey was willing to go up to $125,000, but there was only one other person, five seats away, bidding against him. The bidding crawled in $5,000 increments until Ritchey got him for $75,000, half of what he had originally sold for. Cash is King Stable had its first horse. Lerro had joined the partnership because he had had a bad year betting and was looking for some action. All he recalls in the beginning was continuously calling Zacney and asking him, "What's our trainer's name again?" When Afleet Alex won his first two starts at Delaware Park by a combined 23 1/4 lengths, it was time to start thinking big. Ritchey rattled off a plan that would take the colt to the Sanford (gr. II) and Hopeful (gr. I) at Saratoga, then the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park and Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Lone Star Park. Lerro called Zacney and said, "Who is this guy? He's out of his mind." Lerro went to Saratoga and took one look at D. Wayne Lukas and thought, "This is way out of my league. I can't handle this. "Sure enough, Tim was right," he continued. "After Alex won the Sanford (in stakes record time), people started telling us that the Frankels and other top trainers are gonna be knocking at our door. At that point, I went 'Whoa.' I haven't stopped thanking Tim and Chuck since." He thanked them when the $1.5-million offers started coming in. And he thanked them when the offers increased to $2 million. But Zacney and the partners had no intention of selling. This was about having fun and sharing it with friends and family. A victory in the Hopeful Stakes followed, and now Alex, the one-time ugly duckling, was a grade I winner. Although he ended the year with two narrow defeats in the Champagne and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he still amassed earnings of $680,800. During the winter at Oaklawn Park, Ritchey made a dramatic change in Alex's training routine that would become the brunt of jokes from other trainers. He began training the horse twice a day, jogging early, then following with a stiff gallop later in the morning. "After the Breeders' Cup, he was getting bored in his stall, so we started walking him anywhere from three to five times a day," Ritchey said. "Then I began training him twice a day and he seemed to love it. You can't do it with every horse, but it really helped him. I had trainers at Oaklawn come up to me and say, 'Boy, you've got two horses that really look alike.' " Alex rolled to an impressive victory in the six-furlong Mountain Valley Stakes March 5 before suffering a crushing defeat two weeks later in the Rebel Stakes (gr. III), finishing last as the 3-5 favorite, with John Velazquez replacing Rose in the saddle. But it was discovered the colt had a severe lung infection, and although many quickly dismissed him as a Derby contender, Ritchey never lost faith. He put him on antibiotics for seven days and pointed for the April 16 Arkansas Derby (gr. II). When Velazquez jumped ship and went to Todd Pletcher-trained Bandini for the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), Ritchey and the partners had a big decision to make: look for another big-name rider or go back to Rose, who had developed an almost spiritual-like rapport with Alex. They decided to remain loyal to Rose and named him to ride in the Arkansas Derby. "After the Rebel, the first person back at the barn to see Alex was Jeremy," Zacney said. "It shows how much he cares for this horse. The bond the two of them have formed is really special, and it made a whole lot of sense to go back to Jeremy." Following Alex's breathtaking eight-length victory, he was once again back on the list of leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby. Although Alex finished third at Churchill Downs behind longshots Giacomo and Closing Argument, he was beaten only a length while racing on the inside, considered the worst part of the track that day. About an hour after the Derby, while the connections of Giacomo were still celebrating, Rose, dressed and packed, made one final stop at Alex's Lemonade Stand to sign a photo. Dejected but proud of his horse's effort, he said, "He tried. He definitely tried. The horse gave me everything he had. We gave it our best and he dug in for all he's worth. He's a tough boy. He's still the best as far as I'm concerned, and hopefully we can try again in the Preakness." So, now it was on to Baltimore and another shot at Giacomo and Closing Argument. Nick Zito had three of his five Derby starters--Sun King, High Fly, and Noble Causeway--back for another try in the 14-horse field, in which Afleet Alex was made the 3-1 favorite. The colt walked to the track to the chants of "Alex...Alex...Alex" resounding from the stands and the throng gathered near the gap. The Bobby Frankel-trained High Limit, wearing blinkers for the first time, went to the front as expected, pressed by Going Wild, with Scrappy T and Galloping Grocer right behind. With High Limit and Going Wild at each other's throats, the pace over the drying-out track listed as fast was quick, with fractions of :23.17, :46.07, and 1:10.72. Rose, who had broken from the disadvantageous 12 post, made a brilliant left-hand turn coming out of the gate, and somehow managed to get Alex to the two-path going into the first turn. He settled the colt nicely in 10th along the inside, about 10 lengths off the lead. Saving ground the whole way, he launched his bid and began picking off horses around the far turn while still hugging the rail. By now, Scrappy T, winner of the Withers Stakes (gr. III), had put High Limit away and quickly opened a clear lead as they neared the head of the stretch. Only one horse had a shot to catch him, and that was a flying Afleet Alex, who was kicking into overdrive the same way he had in the Arkansas Derby and Mountain Valley. He eased outside of High Limit and blew by him as if he were standing still, then quickly pounced on Scrappy T. The only question now was how far Alex would win by. Then came one of the scariest moments in racing history. "There was really nothing I could do," Dominguez said. "I knew Afleet Alex was right there. I looked back and I saw him stumble. It was scary, but luckily everyone is OK. I'm sure Jeremy knows it wasn't intentional." Rose kept after Alex with several right-handed whips in the final furlong, and he continued to increase his lead. He closed his final three-sixteenths in an impressive :19 flat en route to a final time of 1:55.04 for the 1 3/16 miles, an excellent time over the deep track. Scrappy T hung tough, finishing five lengths ahead of Giacomo, who was a length better than Sun King. For the Derby winner, there was no disgrace in defeat. "You certainly can't feel embarrassed winning the Derby and coming back to finish third in the Preakness," trainer John Shirreffs said. "I think it says a lot about Giacomo." So, the magical journey of Afleet Alex marches on, driven by the power of the human spirit and one special Thoroughbred who has touched so many lives in so many ways. As Rose sat on a bench the morning after the race, Alex, who was out grazing, came over to him and laid his head on the rider's shoulder, keeping it there for several minutes. The day before, both had stared into the abyss, and each had helped pull the other out. Rose, looking straight ahead, reached up and gently stroked the side of Alex's head. Gratitude comes in many forms.

Wagering Belmont Stakes

2005-05-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

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