‘Amazing’ Alex jogs at Pimlico

Afleet Alex returned to his normal routine on Wednesday (Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com) Four days after dramatically winning the 130th running of the Preakness S. (G1), AFLEET ALEX (Northern Afleet) jogged two miles at Pimlico on Wednesday. Trainer Tim Ritchey plans to keep his star at Old Hilltop until Saturday morning before shipping directly to Belmont Park to prepare for the Belmont S. (G1) on June 11. “He was a touch stiff the first mile, which was to be expected,” Ritchey said, “but by the time he was jogging the second mile his ears were up and he was jogging forward and striding right out. I was ecstatic that he came out of the race as well as he has. He’ll probably go out twice tomorrow and once Friday. He’ll probably jog Saturday morning, get on the van and ship to Belmont.” Afleet Alex and jockey Jeremy Rose overcame near disaster to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. The bay colt came flying around the far turn with dead aim on the leader, SCRAPPY T (Fit to Fight), who suddenly bore out in response to extreme left-handed whipping by jockey Ramon Dominguez. In the blink of an eye, Afleet Alex stumbled to his knees, almost unseating Rose. The agile colt and his young rider quickly recovered, dove to the inside of Scrappy T, then charged to a widening 4 3/4-length victory. The move earned “Play of the Week” honors on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “It was absolutely amazing,” Ritchey said. “I have never seen anything like it in horse racing where the horse didn’t go down, or finish second, third, fourth, fifth, or even pull up.” The victory was extra special for the conditioner, who has lived in Elkton, Maryland, since 1992.

“Anytime you can win one of the elite races is something very special,”
Ritchey said. “Most people only dream about winning a Kentucky Derby (G1),
Preakness, Belmont or Breeders’ Cup. We got to live our dream. To do it in
Maryland is even more special with Joe and Karin De Francis owning the
racetrack. I was very good friends with their mother, Mae, who was a tremendous
woman and took interest in me as a show horse rider when I was 18, 19, 20 years
old. She was a great lady and it means even more to have her family associated
with the Preakness and Pimlico.”

In other Belmont news:

Trainer Robert Bailes said no decision has been made regarding Scrappy T’s
participation in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

“We won’t make a decision until Sunday,” Bailes said. “We’ll give it a couple
days.”

The conditioner said the gelding came out of his runner-up effort in the
Preakness in good order and will return to the track in the next couple of days.

“Everything looks good,” Bailes said. “He didn’t have a scratch on him.”

Lone Star Derby (G3) winner SOUTHERN AFRICA (Cape Town) breezed four furlongs
in :48 over a fast track at Arlington Park on Tuesday. Trainer Michael Puhich
said the dark bay colt is on target for the Belmont.

“He’s coming for sure,” Puhich said. “I breezed him yesterday just to make
sure he’s still hitting on all cylinders. I don’t think the (mile and a half)
distance of the Belmont will be a factor for him.”

Puhich said Jon Court has committed to ride Southern Africa in the
Belmont.

“He’s getting better every time he runs,” he added. “He deserves a shot at
running against better horses.”