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Originally Posted by RollerDoc
Didn't Afleet Alex lose the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths (placing 3rd) in 2005? Then he wins the Preakness and Belmont very convincingly.
Sorry for being the Monday morning quarterback but from what I understand, he could have won the Derby but I seem to recall Jeremy Rose taking the blame for the poor strategy, and it wasn't the horse.
Doe anyone know what the biggest mistake of that race was for Afleet Alex?
Also, wasn't the favorite that year Bellamy Road?
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I think it may have had something to do with him running down on the inside, which might not have been the ideal part of the track that day.
Its funny all the lamenting that goes on about "what could have been" in many TC years. What if Spectacular Bid hadn't stepped on a saftey pin? What if Risen Star had gotten a better trip in the Derby? What if Alysheba was allowed to race on Lasix in NY? What if Tabasco Cat hadn't sat down on his haunches in the gate before the start of the Derby? What if the "real" Point Given had shown up at CD? What if Charismatic didn't break his leg? What if Desormeaux didn't move Real Quiet so soon? What if War Emblem had a clean break? What if Funny Cide wasn't rank off a patented Tagg-disapproved final workout?
So much regret that there is strong support to re-tailor the TC to make it more attainable, particularly in years such as this where a clearly dominant member of the 3yo crop emerges. But no matter what changes are proposed, you can never weed out one of the key factors that determine the outcome of any race, not just an entire Triple Crown: racing luck.
Ironically enough, the overcoming of adversity is what sticks out in a lot of memories of the classics (eg Seattle Slew's botched start, Alysheba's midstretch heel-clipping, Touch Gold's reversal of fortune in the Belmont after his disastrous Preakness, Rags To Riches gender, etc) , whether or not the TC is won.
As far as Afleet Alex goes, if you take away his dramatic knees-to-the-ground stumble in the Preakness, then you deflate his total TC performance much more than you would bolster it by wondering what would have happened if maneuvered a bit differently at Churchill on a day where he was decidedly flat.