The 2005 KY Derby had two interesting storylines going into the race, the first was Bellamy Road, the Wood Memorial winner who was owned by George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees and trained by Nick Zito who had spoiled Smarty Jones' TC bid the year before with Birdstone. The other storyline was of Afleet Alex who had won the Arkansas Derby and was coming out of Delaware Park, just 1/2 hour away from Smarty's home base of Philadelphia Park. Of course 5th place finisher in the SA Derby Giacomo who was 50-1 gave Mike Smith his first Derby winner and put his trainer John Shierffs and owners Jerry and Ann Moss (of course Jerry being the M in A & M Records) on the map. While most people thought that Giacomo was a fluke (including myself), down at Pimlico, Alex was getting ready to take another shot at him.
Afleet Alex had already been an overachiever by the time he had crossed the wire 3rd at Churchill. In matter of fact, the Northern Afleet colt was a bit of a miracle foal. His dam Maggy Hawk couldn't produce enough milk, and until a nurse mare could be brought in his breeder John Silvertand's daughter fed him using a beer bottle. As a two year old, Alex won the Hopeful and was second in both the Champagne and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In his first start at three, he won the Mountain Valley at Oaklawn as his trainer Tim Richey had decided to take the Smarty path to the Derby. In the Rebel though, he got a jockey change from Jeremy Rose who had ridden him in all of his starts to John Velazquez who was the regular rider of Ashado who had won the Kentucky Oaks the year before. It was disaster as Alex would finish last behind Greater Good and Rockport Harbor (whose trainer and jockey where the same as Smarty). In the AR Derby, all was righted as Rose was back on him and they won by open lengths. If it weren't for a dead rail at Churchill that First Saturday in May, Alex would have most likely won. Instead he and Jeremy would have to settle for third behind Giacomo and Closing Argument.
Facing a full field of 14, Alex was sent off as the favorite. He sat towards the back of the pack for most of the race until the final turn. As they turned for home, longshot Scrappy T who was coming off a win in the Withers had the lead. It looked like that Giacomo was going to come up short to a horse who like him would have defied the odds. Except there was one horse moving forward in a field of backpedalling horses, Afleet Alex. Then disaster almost struck. Ramon Dominguez who was riding Scrappy T and at the time riding at Delaware Park (as was Jeremy) hit Scrappy on the right hand side. That made him veer out... right in Alex's path. What would happen next? Well take a look and see for your self.
That moment would be named the NTRA moment of the year for 2005. With no Triple Crown on the line, both Alex and Giacomo headed to the Belmont for the rubber match. It turned out to be no contest as Alex blew by the Derby winner easily to win the mile and half race. Sadly, it turned out to be his final race as it was discovered that an injury more then likely suffered in the infamous bump and run had ended his season. Alex would be named 3yo Champion Male over Travers winner and BCC runner up Flower Alley and Champion Sprinter Lost in the Fog. Both Alex and Foggy though would lose HOY honors to St. Liam who had won the BCC that same season.
As a sire, Alex has Travers winner Afleet Express and BC Marathon winner Afleet Again. He is also the sire of Afleeting Lady, who is a 1/2 sister to fellow Preakness winner Shackleford.
Showing posts with label Afleet Alex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afleet Alex. Show all posts
May 14, 2013
May 24, 2011
Rubber Match
Right now, it looks like that Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness winner Shackleford will indeed meet up for the rubber match in the Belmont. Each has a win against each other and it's the start of what could be a great rivalry. That is if Animal Kingdom stays on dirt (which I assume for now he will). The last time there was a rubber match in the Belmont was in 2005. Derby winner Giacomo faced off against Preakness winner Afleet Alex. In the end, Alex showed why he should have been a Triple Crown winner by passing by Giacomo like well as Tom Durkin called it "like he was standing still".
Sadley he never raced again, due to an injury he most likely suffered in his imfamous "bump and run" with Scrappy T. Lets hope that doesn't happen to Shack and AK.
As you may have heard by now, two horses where retired within 24 hours of each other. Yesterday, it was announced that the top Turf horse in the US Paddy O' Prado has been retired due to a fractured sesamoid. Grade 1 winner Brass Hat also has been retired at the age of 10. Good luck to Paddy in his stud career, and Brass have fun being a horse!
Sadley he never raced again, due to an injury he most likely suffered in his imfamous "bump and run" with Scrappy T. Lets hope that doesn't happen to Shack and AK.
As you may have heard by now, two horses where retired within 24 hours of each other. Yesterday, it was announced that the top Turf horse in the US Paddy O' Prado has been retired due to a fractured sesamoid. Grade 1 winner Brass Hat also has been retired at the age of 10. Good luck to Paddy in his stud career, and Brass have fun being a horse!
January 5, 2011
Hall of Fame Ballot Predictions
With Baseball announcing their Hall of Fame inductees today, I thought it would be a good time to see who will be on this year's Ballot for horse racing's Hall of Fame which is located in Saratoga Springs, NY.
According to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's website, for the Contemporary Male and Female, a horse needed to be retired between 5 and 25 years. Anything over 25 years goes to the Historical Committee for them to vote on. For today, we will be focusing on horses who have been retired since 2006 or earlier until 1986. These are just my predictions to see who will be on the Ballot, when the ballot comes out, that's when I'll make my picks.
Sky Beauty- There are eight Triple Tiara winners, six of them are in the Hall of Fame right now. Sky Beauty is one of two of them that's not. After losing the 3yo Championship to Hollywood Wildcat, she returned at 4 with another soild year winning the Go For Wand, Ruffian, Hempstead (now the Ogden Phipps) and Vagrancy (a race she would win again as a 5 year old). Along with her wins as a 4yo, she captured the Triple Tiara at 3 (the last to do so) and won the Matron at 2.
Afleet Alex- When you think of 2005 racing Saint Liam is probley the first thing to pop into your head. Rightly so, the late sire of one of my favorite fillies currently in training had a wonderful year culimating in Horse of the Year honors. There was another horse though that was making more headlines then he was. Afleet Alex probley should have been the 12th Triple Crown winner, however a poor ride in the Derby plus a dead rail kept Alex out of the winners circle that day. However, he and his jockey Jeremy Rose where able to redeem themselves in the Preakness. However it wasn't without drama, as they went to the final turn Scrappy T bored in almost causing Alex and Jeremy to fall. However Alex was able to rebound and win the race. That would deny Giacomo a chance at the Triple Crown after winning the Derby at 50-1. Alex would go on to win the Belmont before his season (and career) where cut short. Along with his 2 Triple Crown race wins, Afleet Alex also won the Arkansas Derby at 3 and Hopeful at 2. He was named Champion 3yo after finishing runner up year before for Champion 2yo.
Ashado- 2004 was the year of the Smarty Party as Smarty Jones was going for that elusive crown. On the female side, Ashado was one of the best. Not only did she win the Kentucky Oaks oposite Smarty, but she also won the Coaching Club of America Oaks, and Breeders Cup Distaff on her way to 3yo Championship honors. As a four year old she capured 3 G1's including the Beledame which set her up to break Azeri's earnings record at the Distaff which she failed to do by finishing in third (that record has since been passed by Zenyatta). However, it was more then enough to get her Older Female honors.
Open Mind- Like Sky Beauty she won the Triple Tiara becoming the seventh to do so and like SB she is not in the Hall of Fame. That's where the simlarities end though, as Open Mind was a 2 time champion at both 2 and 3. Along with winning the Triple Tiara, she also won the BC Juvenile Fillies, and Kentucky Oaks. She also took the Pimlico Oaks (now called Black Eyed Susan).
These are just predictions, that doesn't mean that they will actually happen. Only time will tell about if any of these horses will make the ballot.
According to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's website, for the Contemporary Male and Female, a horse needed to be retired between 5 and 25 years. Anything over 25 years goes to the Historical Committee for them to vote on. For today, we will be focusing on horses who have been retired since 2006 or earlier until 1986. These are just my predictions to see who will be on the Ballot, when the ballot comes out, that's when I'll make my picks.
Sky Beauty- There are eight Triple Tiara winners, six of them are in the Hall of Fame right now. Sky Beauty is one of two of them that's not. After losing the 3yo Championship to Hollywood Wildcat, she returned at 4 with another soild year winning the Go For Wand, Ruffian, Hempstead (now the Ogden Phipps) and Vagrancy (a race she would win again as a 5 year old). Along with her wins as a 4yo, she captured the Triple Tiara at 3 (the last to do so) and won the Matron at 2.
Afleet Alex- When you think of 2005 racing Saint Liam is probley the first thing to pop into your head. Rightly so, the late sire of one of my favorite fillies currently in training had a wonderful year culimating in Horse of the Year honors. There was another horse though that was making more headlines then he was. Afleet Alex probley should have been the 12th Triple Crown winner, however a poor ride in the Derby plus a dead rail kept Alex out of the winners circle that day. However, he and his jockey Jeremy Rose where able to redeem themselves in the Preakness. However it wasn't without drama, as they went to the final turn Scrappy T bored in almost causing Alex and Jeremy to fall. However Alex was able to rebound and win the race. That would deny Giacomo a chance at the Triple Crown after winning the Derby at 50-1. Alex would go on to win the Belmont before his season (and career) where cut short. Along with his 2 Triple Crown race wins, Afleet Alex also won the Arkansas Derby at 3 and Hopeful at 2. He was named Champion 3yo after finishing runner up year before for Champion 2yo.
Ashado- 2004 was the year of the Smarty Party as Smarty Jones was going for that elusive crown. On the female side, Ashado was one of the best. Not only did she win the Kentucky Oaks oposite Smarty, but she also won the Coaching Club of America Oaks, and Breeders Cup Distaff on her way to 3yo Championship honors. As a four year old she capured 3 G1's including the Beledame which set her up to break Azeri's earnings record at the Distaff which she failed to do by finishing in third (that record has since been passed by Zenyatta). However, it was more then enough to get her Older Female honors.
Open Mind- Like Sky Beauty she won the Triple Tiara becoming the seventh to do so and like SB she is not in the Hall of Fame. That's where the simlarities end though, as Open Mind was a 2 time champion at both 2 and 3. Along with winning the Triple Tiara, she also won the BC Juvenile Fillies, and Kentucky Oaks. She also took the Pimlico Oaks (now called Black Eyed Susan).
These are just predictions, that doesn't mean that they will actually happen. Only time will tell about if any of these horses will make the ballot.
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