IRISHLADSTABLE
08-06-2004, 11:07 PM
Aug 06, 2004
RACING TODAY
By: JOHN PIESEN
All kinds of stuff going on in racing these days, none of which you'll read or hear anywhere else.First of all, I gave Tim Ritchey a hollar last night. Ritchey, based at Delaware Park, is the trainer of the unbeaten Afleet Alex, the best 2-year-old on the planet, and -- just maybe -- the next Smarty Jones.Like Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, a $70,000 purchase last May at Timonium, won his first two starts at a mid-Atlantic track (in this case Delaware), and then shipped to New York to win his first stake (in this case, the Sanford).The last time I saw Ritchey was on the clockers' stand back in early April at Oaklawn Park. A career .300 hitter, Ritchey was lamenting a relatively poor meet at Hot Springs, and was looking forward to getting back to his home turf at Delaware. And, of course, a month later he planned to check out some 2-year-olds at the Timonium Sales on York Avenue, down the street from my favorite batting cages.Timonium of course is where Ritchey would find Afleet Alex, and he would buy him for $70,000 on behalf of a retired suburban Philadelphia businessman. Sound familiar?And now the parallels to Smarty Jones really gets interesting.Ritchey plans to run Afleet Alex next in the Hopeful at Saratoga (where he will be 2-5), and then in the Champagne at Belmont Park. Victories in those two races would make Alex five-for-five, and earn him the 2-year-old championship by acclimation.There will be no Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Afleet Alex.Instead, Ritchey will give Afleet Alex a break, and then put him on a van to (you guessed it) Hot Springs, Ark., and Oaklawn Park, where he will be pointed for the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby (bonus or no bonus)."That would be the plan even if it wasn't for Smarty Jones," Ritchey said. "I love Oaklawn Park, and I love its 3-year-old series. I had told myself that if I was ever fortunate enough to get a good 3-year-old, that's the way I'd go."The parallels to Smarty Jones go further. Ritchey will ask Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope for Smarty's barn, and he authorized this writer to put in the entry for Afleet Alex in the three Oaklawn races, starting with the Southwest.In case you forgot (and I already forgot), I called in the entry for Smarty Jones for the Southwest, Rebel, Arkansas Derby, Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. That's five wins, and the dirtiest second in racing history.Aware of my track record, Ritchey told me: "John..you've got the job."Afleet Alex is one talented young horse. Whether he can approach Smarty Jones' accomplishments and poularity remains to be seen. But one thing is definite: as in 2004, the Road to the 2005 Triple Crown will go through downtown Hot Springs, Ark.
Jimmy
RACING TODAY
By: JOHN PIESEN
All kinds of stuff going on in racing these days, none of which you'll read or hear anywhere else.First of all, I gave Tim Ritchey a hollar last night. Ritchey, based at Delaware Park, is the trainer of the unbeaten Afleet Alex, the best 2-year-old on the planet, and -- just maybe -- the next Smarty Jones.Like Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, a $70,000 purchase last May at Timonium, won his first two starts at a mid-Atlantic track (in this case Delaware), and then shipped to New York to win his first stake (in this case, the Sanford).The last time I saw Ritchey was on the clockers' stand back in early April at Oaklawn Park. A career .300 hitter, Ritchey was lamenting a relatively poor meet at Hot Springs, and was looking forward to getting back to his home turf at Delaware. And, of course, a month later he planned to check out some 2-year-olds at the Timonium Sales on York Avenue, down the street from my favorite batting cages.Timonium of course is where Ritchey would find Afleet Alex, and he would buy him for $70,000 on behalf of a retired suburban Philadelphia businessman. Sound familiar?And now the parallels to Smarty Jones really gets interesting.Ritchey plans to run Afleet Alex next in the Hopeful at Saratoga (where he will be 2-5), and then in the Champagne at Belmont Park. Victories in those two races would make Alex five-for-five, and earn him the 2-year-old championship by acclimation.There will be no Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Afleet Alex.Instead, Ritchey will give Afleet Alex a break, and then put him on a van to (you guessed it) Hot Springs, Ark., and Oaklawn Park, where he will be pointed for the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby (bonus or no bonus)."That would be the plan even if it wasn't for Smarty Jones," Ritchey said. "I love Oaklawn Park, and I love its 3-year-old series. I had told myself that if I was ever fortunate enough to get a good 3-year-old, that's the way I'd go."The parallels to Smarty Jones go further. Ritchey will ask Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope for Smarty's barn, and he authorized this writer to put in the entry for Afleet Alex in the three Oaklawn races, starting with the Southwest.In case you forgot (and I already forgot), I called in the entry for Smarty Jones for the Southwest, Rebel, Arkansas Derby, Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. That's five wins, and the dirtiest second in racing history.Aware of my track record, Ritchey told me: "John..you've got the job."Afleet Alex is one talented young horse. Whether he can approach Smarty Jones' accomplishments and poularity remains to be seen. But one thing is definite: as in 2004, the Road to the 2005 Triple Crown will go through downtown Hot Springs, Ark.
Jimmy