Throwback Thursday - 2005 Belmont Stakes

"And they're off!  And Pinpoint, breaking toward the inside, A.P. Arrow with some early speed, on the outside, Southern Africa, as they make their way into that first turn..."

Most famous race calls are memorable to me only by a particular quote.  This one, however, is one that is nearly memorized in my head.  The nuances and inflexions of the incomparable Tom Durkin's words will forever be remembered by me, bringing a smile to my face as I watch and listen to the race, eight years later.  Yes, while Afleet Alex put on a terrific run in the stretch, leaving his rivals in his wake, the race call will always be the most special part of that race for me.

Five weeks had passed since Giacomo's huge upset in the Derby at 50-1, and three weeks since Afleet Alex had recovered from that infamous stumble to win in the Preakness going away.  Their match-up in the Belmont Stakes was highly anticipated.  If there's not a Triple Crown on the line, the best possible scenario for publicity is to have the Derby and Preakness winners face each other in the final jewel of the series.

Afleet Alex was made a solid favorite for the Belmont, with Giacomo a distant second choice.  Then there was Reverberate, who finished second in the Peter Pan Stakes, and Southern Africa, a two-time stakes winner.  Nick Zito was going for another Belmont win with Andromeda's Hero; the trainer had upset the race with Birdstone the previous year.  Pinpoint, A.P. Arrow and Indy Storm all opened at 20-1, and the handsome bay Chekhov would break from the outside.  Watchmon and Nolan's Cat were longshots - in fact, Nolan's Cat had yet to even win a race! 

I made sure to record the event on a VHS tape to watch again later.  Do they even sell VHS tapes any more?  That alone makes my recollection of this event feel a little dated, and it was only eight years ago!  I recorded it over a TV cartoon, so on the tape, there's about five or so minutes of cartoon before horse racing coverage kicks in.  It starts with the pageantry in the paddock, and the horses heading to the track to the tune of Sinatra's timeless classic "New York, New York."  The post parade is next, followed by warmups...and what happens next is simply racing history.

The gates opened and immediately Pinpoint went to the lead on the inside.  A.P. Arrow and Southern Africa went with him; Chekhov was caught extremely wide into the first turn.  Giacomo was much closer than he had been in the Derby, when he stunned the crowd by coming out of virtually nowhere to get up in the final strides.  Even farther back was the Preakness winner; Afleet Alex was biding his time, waiting to make his move. 

Pinpoint's pace in the Belmont of 2005 could best be described as methodical - 24 and 2, 48 and 3, 1:12 and 4.  After about six or seven furlongs, A.P. Arrow and Southern Africa begin to move up on the chestnut leader, but close on their heels was Giacomo, and he looked fabulous going into the turn!  The gray colt swept by and took the lead at the far turn - a drastically different scenario than his victory five weeks ago.  The spectators wondered - where was Afleet Alex?  If you look closely, you could see the little bay threading his way through the pack like a needle through thread, full of run.

Afleet Alex hooked to the outside as they swept around that wide Belmont turn.  Giacomo still had the lead, but "Afleet Alex ran right by Giacomo like he was standing still!"  The Derby winner was instantly defeated in that moment as his rival uncorked his tremendous turn of foot.  Afleet Alex made a mockery of that field, pulling away to win by open lengths.  He did it so easily! 

While Afleet Alex made it look like a workout, Andromeda's Hero put in a nice run for trainer Zito to finish second.  And from the extreme back of the pack, the white face of Nolan's Cat was coming on!  He swept past the Derby winner and Southern Africa to finish a game third, his best performance to date. 

There was no doubting, however, that this was Afleet Alex's day.  He crossed the wire in a nice time of 2:28 and 3 for twelve furlongs, running the last quarter in 24 and change - very nice, considering that the horses on the front end had begin to slow after six furlongs.  His tremendous burst of energy in the stretch was no illusion.  After two dominating performances in his classic wins, people started to lament his poor trip in the Derby that cost him the victory.  He was certainly the best of the crop and could have been the first Triple Crown winner in decades.

When I went to New York City in 2005, I was fortunate enough to go to Belmont Park in the morning for breakfast and a tour.  I was even luckier enough to get a glimpse of this great colt as he went through a morning workout.  I was starstruck and was even more excited for the little bay colt to make his next start on the track.

That next start never came.  Afleet Alex suffered a hairline condylar fracture in July and was subsequently retired in December, going to Gainesway for stud duty.  Who knows what great things he could have done as an older horse?  He received the award for Eclipse Champion Three Year-Old Male and finished second in Horse of the Year votes to Breeders' Cup Classic winner St. Liam.  That was his final bow as a racehorse.  From then on, his current legacy would be restricted to being a stud.

Yes, Afleet Alex has produced some good winners.  Some of them have even gone on to win Grade 1 races.  None of what he does in the future, though, will compare to his stunning win in the Belmont Stakes.  And nothing of what Tom Durkin does in the future will be as memorable to me as his call in that 2005 Belmont Stakes. 

"But then Jeremy Rose said go on Afleet Alex, and they were going, going, gone."