Dual Classic Winner Afleet Alex Retired

From The Bloodhorse:
Cash is King Stable's Afleet Alex, winner of this year's Preakness and Belmont Stakes (both gr. I), has been retired. Trainer Tim Ritchey announced Thursday the son of Northern Afleet has been retired due to a recently detected injury believed to have caused the colt's hairline condylar fracture of the left front cannon bone suffered in July.

There is no deal pending on where the colt will stand at stud.

Afleet Alex has not started since the June 11 Belmont because of the injury. He retires with eight wins in 12 starts and earnings of $2,765,800. He nearly became the sport's 12th Triple Crown winner. He finished third in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) by a length, won the Preakness after nearly being knocked down by Scrappy T in the turn for home, and won the Belmont by seven lengths.

Ritchey said the fracture has healed, but a new problem was discovered on the latest set of xeroradiographs. Prior to being shipped to Gulfstream Park, where he currently is stabled, Afleet Alex was sent to the New Jersey Equine Clinic for an evaluation by Dr. Patricia Hogan, who performed the surgery to repair the fracture. A xeroradiograph of the cannon bone revealed an abnormal wedge-shaped section of bone abutting the original fracture line.

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=31220

though not much surprised. It seemed like they were wishing against the tides to bring him back with the continual setbacks, pushing from this race to the next as a possibility. When they ditched the Cigar Mile I had a sinking feeling. I wonder, too, if the bullet works exacerbated this problem Alex developed. Honestly, I think they are doing right by him, but I'm disgusted nonetheless that another champ has essentially gone down in June. More than anything else, horse racing needs stories and heroics like the ones Alex so graciously gave us to get any sort of staying power in most folks' minds. Alex's fate, I think, is pretty much the nail in the coffin for reviving horse racing's popularity, unless a horse like First Samurai or Stevie Wonderboy breaks through soon and snatches a Triple Crown. That seems like such an impossible task now, even relishing Alex's two monster wins.

But that's no matter now.

Afleet Alex gave everything he had out there. For the courage he showed in the Preakness, falling nearly to his nose and then thundering forward like that, I'll never forget him.

I too will never forget him.

The hero of the Triple Crown races runs his last race in the Belmont, following Smarty Jones last year. Racing needs good breaks and it's going the other way.

A pair of remarkable efforts by Afleet Alex to close his career but he blew immortality by being strangely outfinished while running near the rail in the Derby, finishing a well beaten third.

but, we need to start making some of our own breaks. I think that it is best for Alex to retire him. I would hate to have him breakdown on the track. But, we need to address the problem of why our horses are not as durable as they were in the past.

Are we racing them too young? Are we breeding for early speed and not stamina? Do the breeders have too much control over racing? Are our tracks too fast and more likely to hurt our horses?

Afleet Alex may never be spoken of with the likes of Big Red, Slew or Citation but, I have a feeling that his miracle recovery in the Preakness will be talked about for as long as anyone cares about horse racing.

will never race the next year. There's no money in it. Why would you ever race a multiple classic winner, when you can syndicate him for 20 million? No four year old can make that kind of money, no matter how good. You could sweep the season, 10-15 races and never win that much. so why take the chance of a breakdown?

...that probably wouldn't be the case - no stud value.

Racing will have a problem with establishing stars as long as the breeding shed is more lucrative than the racetrack. That is, unless the sport gets reinvented as a NASCAR-style cult of personality, where the horses become inconsequential bit players, and the trainers and jockeys are heavily promoted.

it's a hell of a gamble. To be close to that class, it would have good bloodlines, and still be worth more at stud than would be likely as a racer.

And you're right, as long as the breeding potential of the animal is greater than the sum of the purses avaliable, you'll never have a multi year star, why do something good for the sport at great risk to yourself? Look at the money laid out at Keeneland this year, 744 million? You think Ashado will ever see another track with a 9 mill price tag? for a Mare? damn.

...and that decision is made before anyone figures out that a horse has potential. Sometimes gelding is done to help a horse reach its potential on the racetrack. Not for nothing do the TVG guys refer to gelding as the "ultimate equipment change."

if you know that the only way to make money on a horse is to send it to stud, there is a disincentive to geld. it takes balls (sorry) to geld a million dollar colt. Unlike in say, steeplechasing, where a ten year career is possible.

I felt he was going to be retired after he had the surgery.
But if a horse is to be considered for year end honors he
has to be kept in the media's eye until then.

Anyway, at least they did the right thing by not bringing him
back. When he took that bad stumble in the Preakness I thought
it would have been a miracle if he came out of that unscathed.
It seems that what they are saying is that he would come apart
if they kept going with him. Best to retire him in one piece.

and I think it is the right decision. I just am so disappointed.

I'm still sitting here tapping my foot waiting for another really great horse. I want another Bid or Slew or Affirmed. Some horse that makes me say, "Damn, I wanna see that horse race."

Can LITF be that horse?

I think they are trying to say that if he raced again
there is a good possibility that he would have a
catastrophic injury to that leg.

He has too much wear and tear in the joint. He was a real
warrior but he is better off going to stud now.

Tim Ritchey did a wonderful job with this horse.

What a great looking horse.
Happy Retirement! :bounce: