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 NEW YORK (AP) - On the morning after the Belmont Stakes, reality set in: Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex came within 8 feet of winning the Triple Crown. Unlike the past three years, when the Belmont was the undoing of Triple Crown hopefuls Smarty Jones, Funny Cide and War Emblem, Afleet Alex was tripped up by the first race in the series, the Kentucky Derby.
After losing by a length — about 8 feet — to a pair of long shots, Afleet Alex won the Preakness by 4 3/4 lengths despite nearly falling, then bounced back with an overpowering seven-length victory in Saturday's final leg of the Triple Crown.
Moments after the Belmont, jockey Jeremy Rose was blaming himself for the Derby defeat. If it weren't for him, he said, Afleet Alex would be racing's first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.
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