Afleet Alex rests for Belmont

STANTON, Del. -- Jeremy Rose had one unprintable word pop into his mind aboard Afleet Alex when the horse was on the verge of crumpling to the dirt after his frightening collision with Scrappy T in the Preakness Stakes.

Before Rose had time to consider any other words you can only think on television, he held on to the mane, restored balance and somehow turned a scare into a remarkable victory.

When Rose finally got a chance to watch the replay, the jockey truly realized how close the race came to disaster.

"We were real close to hitting the ground hard," Rose said Monday from his home track of Delaware Park. "I knew we clipped heels hard. I knew we were right at the edge of where you hit the ground. It's a lot more dramatic when you see it in slow motion how close his head actually got."

How close? Trainer Tim Ritchey guessed Afleet Alex's nose was about 4 inches from the ground.

"No horse is supposed to do that in any race, let alone a great one of Preakness caliber," Rose said. "You're not supposed to jump up and, especially, keep running like that."

While Afleet Alex will rest at Pimlico a few more days before heading to New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 11, Rose was back at work Sunday and Monday with mounts at Delaware Park.

The location changed, but the result sure didn't -- Rose was a winner Monday aboard another Ritchey trained horse, Characterize.

"It seems we're on a roll right now," said Rose after two mounts on a rainy, gloomy Monday. "It just seems we're very fortunate right now. All the horses in Tim's barn are running real well."

Rose has as much to do with the success as anyone, right now. He's been nearly flawless on the horse and has Afleet Alex positioned as the favorite in the Belmont. Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby, beaten in the final strides by 50-1 long shot Giacomo.

If Alex held on, a shot at the Triple Crown would have been on the line in the Belmont. Instead, Rose will have to settle for a chance at winning the final two legs of the Triple Crown.

"I'm used to be being the favorite now," Rose said.

Rose refused to look back at what could have been, either at the near-miss in the Derby or the near-fall in the Preakness. When he watched the Preakness replay, his heart didn't skip the beats of those watching the race live.

"Luckily, I know what the outcome is and that's nice," Rose said, smiling.

With a quarter-mile to go, Scrappy T was in the lead when he responded to a left-handed whip from jockey Ramon Dominguez by veering sharply to his right and directly into Afleet Alex's path.

"I knew there was somebody there and then I could see him go to his knees," Dominguez said Monday.

Dominguez, who makes his home track in Delaware and considers Rose a friend, said Rose was one of the few jockeys who could have kept his composure and momentum on a horse like Afleet Alex.

"When I see the replay, it just amazes me more that Afleet Alex picked himself up and kept on running," Dominguez said. "It was really something very dramatic."

After the race, Ritchey questioned why Dominguez hit his horse left-handed, but Rose said he had no ill will toward his fellow jockey.

"If there's any jockey that wouldn't do it on purpose, he's one of them," Rose said.

Afleet Alex regained his footing and his drive, and Rose has been praised in the backstretch for his handling of the colt.

"It was instinct just to hang on," Rose said. "It would have been horrible. Four or five horse wouldn't have been able to miss us. It would have been a domino effect. When jockeys go flying, someone's going to get hurt."

Both Rose and Dominguez are regular riders in Delaware, giving the park the exacta with Scrappy T's second-place finish.

"The guys here can ride as well as anyone in the country, you just have to put them on the right horse," Rose said.

Right now, the right horse seems to be Afleet Alex.

"I have all the confidence in him," Rose said. "I think he can beat any horse he runs against."