Afleet Alex: There are no questions left about this colt. He can get the distance. He has more than one move. He’s agile and powerful. “Where did he come from?,” a woman standing next to me shouted as Alex crossed the finish line and the crowd cheered. He came from ninth just before the mile mark to first at the stretch and blew by the competition with incredible ease, winning by seven lengths. It was a thrilling performance.
Giacomo: Finished seventh, a showing that makes his Kentucky Derby victory look all the flukier now, given that the likes of maiden starter Nolan’s Cat finished third and Indy Storm, an N1X allowance winner, finished fourth. Giacomo made an uncharacteristically early move in the race as well, briefly taking the lead at the half mile. That’s no way to win the Belmont.
Andromeda’s Hero: Finished second. Obviously, he liked the distance, but when will he get the chance to run a mile and a half again?
Reverberate: Finished tenth. I guess he was tired. This is a nice colt, though, and after a rest, he should be back in form for the Travers.
Posted by JC in Triple Crown on 06/11/2005 @ 11:55 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
The cable installer arrived an hour late yesterday afternoon, but my annoyance disappeared with the realization that this was the man who was going to restore the Internet to me. Sweet, sweet Internet! It’s been an excruciating week without the web. The only way I’ve been able to get online is to visit my new local public library, which actually has a good wireless network, but less-than-ideal space for working long stretches, and as a result I’ve missed much news, such as the entire lead up to the Belmont Stakes. Although, through old media, I’ve been able to keep up with the basics — no Oratory, no Scrappy T; Nick Zito is entering three; Afleet Alex is the 6-5 favorite. Unfortunately, yesterday’s cable installation didn’t go smoothly, and it’ll be a few more days before everything is set right. By next week, I should have reliable web once more, and TVG.
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I’ll be in New York on Saturday afternoon, and couldn’t be more excited about the Belmont Stakes or the Belmont undercard. Afleet Alex is the deserving favorite in the Belmont, but there’s a lot of other talent entered — Andromeda’s Hero, Reverberate, Giacomo — and there’s sure to be a surprise or two in this, the last leg of a surprise-filled Triple Crown series. As for the undercard, Lost in the Fog will try to extend his unbeaten streak to seven in the Riva Ridge Stakes, and Funny Cide will start in the Brooklyn Handicap along with Evening Attire and Gygistar. That’ll be some good racing.
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A couple of Suffolk notes: Saturday is Rudy Baez Day at Suffolk Downs. The former jockey, one of New England’s best, was paralyzed in 1999 at Rockingham Park. He’ll be honored with the Rudy Baez Stakes and with the presentation of an award from Challenge Unlimited, an organization dedicated to using horses to help children with disabilities. The $50,000 Rudy Baez Stakes is the first of four reinstated open stakes races this year. The others are the Old Ironsides on June 18, the My Fair Lady on August 13, and the Topsider on August 27 … The turf course finally opened with the fifth race on Tuesday, an uneventful claiming $8000 race for fillies and mares, which was won by Shehaz Pazzaz, a 10-year-old mare who won over the Suffolk turf course twice last year.
Posted by JC in Miscellany on 06/09/2005 @ 9:50 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
And Railbird moves. The two are unrelated, other than that I was so busy packing yesterday I missed watching Ghostzapper’s romp in the Met Mile. The 2004 Horse of the Year won by more than six lengths in his first start in seven months. After such a dominating performance, who will face the champ next? Here’s one match I’d like to see: Ghostzapper vs. Lost in the Fog.
Anyway, I’m moving today and tomorrow, and won’t have web access again until Thursday at least June 8, so I’ve decided to take a short vacation. I’ll return to posting then, with site improvements and fresh content, including an expanded Suffolk Downs section for my fellow New England racing fans; an interview with Daily Racing Form writer, and author of “The Home Run Horse,” Glenye Cain; and a review of Ted McClelland’s “Horseplayers: Life at the Track.”
‘Til Monday Wednesday …
Posted by JC in Miscellany on 05/31/2005 @ 9:05 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
