gambling belmont stakes derby

Belmont Stakes: No Triple Crown try but it's Derby winner vs. Preakness winner

2005-06-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Triple Crown won't be on the line in the Belmont Stakes, but the "Test of the Champion" is shaping up as one of the better showdowns in recent years: Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo versus Preakness winner Afleet Alex. And if you're looking for an edge, history says go with Afleet Alex. In four of the last five Belmonts featuring winners of the first two legs of the Triple Crown, it's been the Preakness winner who's come out on top. "Whatever happens, it will be a great race," Afleet Alex trainer Tim Ritchey said. "And that's what horse racing needs." What racing really wants is its first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978. This year, though, Giacomo versus Afleet Alex after three straight failed Triple tries - and six in the past eight years - could be an exciting diversion. Last year, after Birdstone beat Smarty Jones by a length in the Belmont in front of a record crowd of 120,139, even winning owner Marylou Whitney, trainer Nick Zito and jockey Edgar Prado apologized for spoiling Smarty's Triple party. Two years ago, it was Empire Maker over Funny Cide, and in 2002 it was War Emblem stumbling at the start and finishing eighth. "We have every expectation that this will be another sensational Belmont Stakes day in every category," New York Racing Association vice-president Bill Nader said. Don't expect a record crowd, but 73,857 turned out for the 2001 Belmont, when Preakness winner Point Given defeated Derby winner Monarchos. In the other matchups in which the Preakness winner beat the Derby winner, it was Tabasco Cat over Go for Gin (1994), Hansel over Strike the Gold (1991) and Risen Star over Winning Colors (1988). In 1993, Colonial Affair beat Derby winner Sea Hero (seventh) and Preakness winner Prairie Bayou broke down during the race. Afleet Alex, ridden by JeremyRose, is the likely favorite in what is shaping up as a nine-horse field. The colt with seven victories in 11 starts was expected to arrive at Belmont Park from Pimlico during the weekend. Giacomo, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, has just two victories in nine starts. The grey colt has been training at Hollywood Park in California, and is expected to arrive in New York on Wednesday. Trainer John Shirreffs said Giacomo came out of the Preakness in fine shape, and the colt enjoyed returning to his home base for a few weeks. "We wouldn't get on the plane and go back to New York unless we felt the horse was doing really well," Shirreffs said. "So it forces you to look at the condition of the horse very closely. . . . He's held his weight, he's eating well and he's travelling well on the racetrack. From what we can see, he looks very good." Scrappy T, who nearly knocked Afleet Alex off his feet at the top of the stretch in the Preakness, appears headed to the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. The Preakness runner-up will be ridden again by Ramon Dominguez, whose left-handed whip startled Scrappy T and caused him to veer into Afleet Alex's path.
"We've already shown we can match up with them," Scrappy T trainer Robert Bailes said of Afleet Alex and Giacomo. "The question is whether my horse can go a mile-a-half." Also set for the Belmont are two three-year-olds trained by Nick Zito, Andromeda's Hero and Pinpoint; Lone Star Derby winner Southern Africa, and Chekhov. Possibles include Sort It Out, Reverberate and A.P. Arrow. Ritchey seems excited about a race that features a 50-1 Derby winner in Giacomo against his colt, who is coming off a remarkable athletic performance. The trainer is predicting a big crowd for the rubber match. "Certainly, this race has gotten a lot of publicity," Ritchey said. "A big crowd? It wouldn't surprise me - it depends on the day, too. But I think anyone who's a fan of horse racing will look forward to seeing the Belmont to see just what's going to happen." Afleet Alex will spend his week at Belmont with a few two-a-day gallops as the colt tunes up for the longest race of his career. "Horses in this country don't normally run that distance, so it's different," Ritchey said. "The rider has to be a lot more patient in the race and your horse has to be able to relax - and I feel I have both. I have a rider who was very patient in the Preakness and my horse will rate and relax as long as you want him to do until you ask him to run. So I don't think the distance will be a problem." Ritchey would like to see Afleet Alex stalk the pace and make his patented run in the final three eighths of a mile. Shirreffs believes Giacomo is at his best in longer races. "He has a nice long stride, he covers the ground well, he relaxes behind horses and next to horses," Shirreffs said. "And he seems to be always coming at the end." So there's no Triple try this year. A little rivalry, though, may be a good thing.

Afleet Alex Impressive In Wednesday Breeze

2005-06-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Suspected strangles at Belmont keeps Afleet Alex at Pimlico

2005-05-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Preakness winner Afleet Alex will stay at Pimlico until Belmont Park officials have more information on a suspected case of strangles at the New York track. Trainer Tim Ritchey had planned to ship Afleet Alex to Long Island on Saturday for the June 11 Belmont Stakes, the third jewel in US flat racing's Triple Crown.That move was delayed, however, after Belmont Park quarantined a barn and isolated a horse after a possible outbreak of strangles, a respiratory disease which has afflicted horses recently at other tracks, including Churchill Downs, which hosted the Kentucky Derby.Afleet Alex's departure date is on hold until New York Racing Association officials have control of the situation.The NYRA placed under quarantine Belmont Park's Barn 60, where trainer Steve Kappes is stabled. One of Kappes' horses, Lady Libby, was put into an isolation stall "after exhibiting signs suggestive of possible strangles," NYRA chief examining veterinarian Celeste Kunz said.The Belmont Stakes is the last of the Triple Crown races. Afleet Alex finished third at the Kentucky Derby, won by 50-1 longshot Giacomo, before winning the Preakness despite a near-fall after clipping the heels of a horse that veered into his path.

Peter Pan Stakes has produced five Belmont winners

2005-05-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Chekhov has a chance to run his way into the Belmont Stakes in two weeks. All that's needed is a solid effort by the $3.3 million colt in Saturday's $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. Coming off his first career victory, Chekhov is the likely favorite in a field of eight 3-year-olds for the 1 1/8-mile race. "He is putting everything together now," trainer Patrick Biancone said. "His maiden win was really good and I was quite impressed with him. Now, it's time to test him." Owners Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith paid $3.3 million for the son of Pulpit at the Keeneland 2-year-olds in training sale, but Chekhov lost his first three starts, developed quarter cracks and needed three months to recover. But after his 8 ¼-length win at Belmont on May 8, Chekhov could be ready to join the Triple Crown fray and challenge Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo and Preakness winner Afleet Alex in the 1 ½-mile Belmont on June 11. The Peter Pan has produced five Belmont winners, beginning with Coastal in 1979. The others were Danzig Connection in 1986, A.P. Indy in 1992, Colonial Affair in 1993 and Lemon Drop Kid in 1999. Reverberate is another Belmont hopeful. The chestnut colt trained by Sal Russo comes into the Peter Pan off a 2 ½-length victory in an allowance race, and is 2-for-2 at Belmont. "He's fresh, talented and improving," Russo said. "I think he's got a big future. I think he belongs with these." Jose Santos will be aboard Reverberate, a son of 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Thunder Gulch. Gary Stevens has the call on Chekhov. Also entered are Robador, Sir Greeley, Mr Sword, Golden Man, Gorbash and Oratory. Chekhov began his career with a second-place finish at Keeneland last October and then finished third in his next start, at Santa Anita. Moving into stakes company for the first time, Chekhov was fifth in the Sham Stakes, but just 2 ¾ lengths behind the winner, Going Wild. Giacomo was third in the race. "He's a very good horse and we've been very high on him since the beginning," Biancone said. "I think the Sham was the best performance of his career. He was a maiden running in a stakes race that had the Kentucky Derby winner in it." Like Chekhov, Oratory is a son of Pulpit but a less expensive one. Darley Stud bought him for $100,000 as a yearling. The colt has two wins and two seconds in four career starts — all this year. "He's really matured over the last few months, and I think the time is right to test him against horses like these," trainer Tom Albertrani said.BELMONT NOTES: Horse of the Year Ghostzapper is set for his 2005 debut in Monday's $750,000 Metropolitan Mile. Ghostzapper, trained by Bobby Frankel, won all four of his starts last year, including the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 30 in his last start. ... Medallist, a winner of three stakes races and runner-up in the Carter Handicap last month, is out of the Met Mile with a cracked bone in his left front leg. ... On the Belmont front, Preakness runner-up Scrappy T, who veered into Afleet Alex and nearly knocked the winner off his feet at the top of the stretch, is a likely starter, owner Marshall Dowell says. ... Afleet Alex took to the Pimlico track for a third straight morning Friday, jogging two miles early and 1 ½ miles a few hours later. "Most horses would benefit from the same type of program, but unfortunately you can't do it with them," trainer Tim Ritchey said of the two-a-day workouts. "You have to have this kind of athlete."

Alex's Scheduled Arrival at Belmont Delayed

2005-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Suspected Strangles Case at Belmont Park

2005-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

The New York Racing Association placed the Belmont Park barn of trainer Steve Kappes under quarantine May 27 following discovery of a suspected case of strangles. Strangles, a respiratory disease and the neurological form of equine herpes, is suspected in Kappes' horse Lady Libby, who was put into an isolation stall "after exhibiting signs suggestive of possible strangles," said Dr. Celeste Kunz, NYRA's chief examining veterinarian. Barn 60, where Giacomo was stalled, is under quarantine. The signs of strangles, a disease caused by a bacterium, streptococcus equi, may include nasal discharge, swelling in the lymph glands under the jaw or fever. Most animals recover, but horses that contract even a mild case must be isolated and removed from training or heavy work. "This is a suspected case of strangles, not a confirmed case," Dr. Kunz said. "But we are taking this very seriously, and are taking every precaution and bio-security measure. We are testing every horse in the barn and horses that have been through the barn. And we have isolated Lady Libby. The test samples will be sent to two labs that are accommodating us through the holiday weekend. We should have word early next week." During the winter, cases of strangles were reported in South Florida, while equine herpes has recently been isolated in Kentucky. NYRA has restricted horses coming from those jurisdictions. On May 26, Dr. Kunz announced that horses stabled at Delaware Park are temporarily restricted from NYRA premises due to confirmed strangles. Horses from Churchill Downs are temporarily restricted from NYRA premises until June 1. Horses from quarantined barns are prohibited from NYRA premises until further notice. Trainers wishing to ship horses that have recently relocated from Churchill Downs or Delaware Park must first contact Dr. Kunz. All trainers and veterinarians at NYRA racetracks are asked to report horses with high fevers, neurological signs or enlarged lymph nodes to Dr. Kunz.

Alex's Scheduled Arrival at Belmont Delayed

2005-05-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

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.

gambling belmont stakes derby

2005-05-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby gambling belmont stakes derby