Quite a Trip for Afleet Alex
Horse and Jockey Both Hang On After Stumble Near the Finish
By John Scheinman
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, May 22, 2005; Page E01
BALTIMORE, May 21 -- The hardest part of the Preakness Stakes for Afleet Alex wasn't winning the race; it was staying upright.
Just after jockey Jeremy Rose flipped up his goggles and cut loose the favorite on the far turn, leader Scrappy T -- the only horse left to pass -- lost control after being cracked with the whip by Ramon Dominguez, veering into the path of Afleet Alex.
In a second, the record crowd of 115,318 gasped as Afleet Alex clipped his left front hoof with Scrappy T's right rear and nearly went down. Just as suddenly, Rose ended the age-old question of whether jockeys are athletes, acrobatically staying aboard and hanging on for his life.
After nearly crumpling to the track at top speed, Afleet Alex not only pulled himself up but ran away from the field with an astonishing second burst, winning the second leg of the Triple Crown by 4 3/4 lengths. The victory confirmed Afleet Alex, third in the Kentucky Derby, as the top 3-year-old, and left a Preakness story that likely will be passed down for generations.
"I was scared," Rose said, panting after the race. "I just held on. His nose got a little dirty out there. The thought process was I was going to get run over; the instinct was to hold on and get my balance back."
In the owners' box at Pimlico, as the horses turned for home, trainer Tim Ritchey went through a split-second change of emotions. He cursed as Afleet Alex nearly went down, then, in practically the same breath, said, "He's still going to win."
As the owners of the Cash Is King stable roared with excitement when Afleet Alex took off for the wire, Ritchey grew silent and raised his right index finger, quietly and confidently signaling who was best.
After a Kentucky Derby won by Giacomo in alarmingly slow time, Afleet Alex won the 1 3/16 -mile Preakness in 1 minute 55.04 seconds, the fastest running since Real Quiet in 1998.
Scrappy T, trained by Maryland-based Robbie Bailes, held on to finish second, five lengths in front of Giacomo, who raced much of the way off the right flank of Afleet Alex before falling behind on the turn.
In the aftermath of the race, the winning connections argued over who had been most responsible for averting disaster, man or horse.
"It wasn't my athleticism, but Alex's," Rose said. "He could have easily gone down, and we'd have been run over by the field."
Ritchey split the difference. "He did a great job. There's no doubt about it," said the trainer, 53, who lives in Elkton, Md. "It was his athletic ability and Alex's athletic ability. It was a partnership.
_____ How They Finished _____
1. Afleet Alex (J. Rose)
2. Scrappy T (R. Dominguez)
3. Giacomo (M. Smith)
4. Sun King (R. Bejarano)
5. High Limit (E. Prado)
6. Noble Causeway (G. Stevens)
7. Greeley's Galaxy (D. Flores)
8. Malibu Moonshine (S. Hamilton)
9. Closing Argument (C. Velasquez)
10. High Fly (J. Bailey)
11. Hal's Image (J. Santos)
12. Wilko (C. Nakatani)
13. Galloping Grocer (J. Bravo)
14. Going Wild (R. Albarado)
Horse and Jockey Both Hang On After Stumble Near the Finish
By John Scheinman
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, May 22, 2005; Page E01
BALTIMORE, May 21 -- The hardest part of the Preakness Stakes for Afleet Alex wasn't winning the race; it was staying upright.
Just after jockey Jeremy Rose flipped up his goggles and cut loose the favorite on the far turn, leader Scrappy T -- the only horse left to pass -- lost control after being cracked with the whip by Ramon Dominguez, veering into the path of Afleet Alex.
In a second, the record crowd of 115,318 gasped as Afleet Alex clipped his left front hoof with Scrappy T's right rear and nearly went down. Just as suddenly, Rose ended the age-old question of whether jockeys are athletes, acrobatically staying aboard and hanging on for his life.
After nearly crumpling to the track at top speed, Afleet Alex not only pulled himself up but ran away from the field with an astonishing second burst, winning the second leg of the Triple Crown by 4 3/4 lengths. The victory confirmed Afleet Alex, third in the Kentucky Derby, as the top 3-year-old, and left a Preakness story that likely will be passed down for generations.
"I was scared," Rose said, panting after the race. "I just held on. His nose got a little dirty out there. The thought process was I was going to get run over; the instinct was to hold on and get my balance back."
In the owners' box at Pimlico, as the horses turned for home, trainer Tim Ritchey went through a split-second change of emotions. He cursed as Afleet Alex nearly went down, then, in practically the same breath, said, "He's still going to win."
As the owners of the Cash Is King stable roared with excitement when Afleet Alex took off for the wire, Ritchey grew silent and raised his right index finger, quietly and confidently signaling who was best.
After a Kentucky Derby won by Giacomo in alarmingly slow time, Afleet Alex won the 1 3/16 -mile Preakness in 1 minute 55.04 seconds, the fastest running since Real Quiet in 1998.
Scrappy T, trained by Maryland-based Robbie Bailes, held on to finish second, five lengths in front of Giacomo, who raced much of the way off the right flank of Afleet Alex before falling behind on the turn.
In the aftermath of the race, the winning connections argued over who had been most responsible for averting disaster, man or horse.
"It wasn't my athleticism, but Alex's," Rose said. "He could have easily gone down, and we'd have been run over by the field."
Ritchey split the difference. "He did a great job. There's no doubt about it," said the trainer, 53, who lives in Elkton, Md. "It was his athletic ability and Alex's athletic ability. It was a partnership.
_____ How They Finished _____
1. Afleet Alex (J. Rose)
2. Scrappy T (R. Dominguez)
3. Giacomo (M. Smith)
4. Sun King (R. Bejarano)
5. High Limit (E. Prado)
6. Noble Causeway (G. Stevens)
7. Greeley's Galaxy (D. Flores)
8. Malibu Moonshine (S. Hamilton)
9. Closing Argument (C. Velasquez)
10. High Fly (J. Bailey)
11. Hal's Image (J. Santos)
12. Wilko (C. Nakatani)
13. Galloping Grocer (J. Bravo)
14. Going Wild (R. Albarado)
