Sorry you lost money on Afleet Alex, he's the only horse in the Derby whose ever encountered trouble in the race.
Between the 3/4 pole and the 1M pole take a look at the horse, that horse is Noble Causeway ridden by Stevens (Gray silks, shadow roll and a star on his forehead), who was in 15th place and Giacomo was in 18th place. You will see Stevens take a move inside so Smith can go outside then Stevens immediately moves Causway back. At the 1M marker, Noble Causeway was in 12th place and Giacomo was now in 11th place. Stevens knew his horse was finished, and he was, cause he finished 14th in the race. That's where the hole was, Mike was already 5 wide, otherwise Smith would have had to go another two horses wide and would not have won, and likely finished 3rd. At the 1/16th pole (16 strides from the finish line) Mike was 5 wide and 1 1/2 length behind Alex and had to go 8 wide when he split horses earlier In the stretch.
Closing Argument would have won the race, not Afleet Alex, and Giacomo would have run 3rd.
You mean this isn't the 60's? Afleet Alex was backing up and getting passed late by the 1st and 2nd place horse.
Noble Causeway moved inside creating a shorter trip for Giacomo, that's the truth.
That's what Mike said in a national interview and the tape shows that.
Alex won 3 Grade 1 races, and 2 Grade 2 races. A VERY good horse, not exactly a superstar in a year of weak 3 year olds.
He was beaten by Proud Accolades, Wilko, Giacomo, and Closing Argument in Graded stakes races, not exactly Arrogate, American Pharoah, Justify or Flightline quality of superstardom. Far from it.
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