Afleet Alex’s trainer has trouble believing

Tim Ritchey has been in the horse business for three decades, and never before had he seen a race like this one.

The veteran trainer didn’t know what it felt like to win a Triple Crown race either, until Saturday at the Preakness at Baltimore.

After watching his Afleet Alex survive a near calamitous collision, Ritchey celebrated the victory with jockey Jeremy Rose, whose reflexes helped make it happen.

Afleet Alex had passed much of the field when he was bumped by front-runner Scrappy T at the top of the stretch. Rose’s horse dropped to his knees, drawing a gasp from the crowd, before bouncing up in an instant to resume his run to the wire.

“Over 30 years, I’ve seen some horses take some bad steps in races and still win,” Ritchey said. “I’ve never seen a horse stumble that badly and lose his momentum that much to come back on and win in a Grade I race like this.”

Ritchey, who lives in Maryland, won the Preakness on the heels of a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

“I’ve been a trainer for over 30 years, so you put your time in at the small tracks,” he said. “Believe me, it’s the horse. Horses make trainers, trainers don’t make horses. He’s the star. I was fortunate enough to come across this horse. He did something that champions do today.”

Scrappy T lives in infamy

Scrappy T won’t be remembered for finishing second in the Preakness.

On a day when the horse proved his worth by coming in behind Afleet Alex, his most noticed deed was nearly tripping up the winner at the top of the stretch.

As Scrappy T jockey Ramon Dominguez whipped his horse with the left hand, Scrappy T veered into Afleet Alex, who dropped to his knees before recovering to win Saturday’s race with Jeremy Rose aboard.

“When we came into the stretch I wasn’t expecting him to have any problems,” Dominguez said. “I’m just happy me and Jeremy didn’t come off. It’s still hard for me to believe he did something like that.”

Closing Argument stake sold

The owners of Preakness starter Closing Argument have sold a half-interest in the 3-year-old colt, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said.

Closing Argument, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby and ninth in the Preakness, was bought for $100,000 by Philip and Marcia Cohen last April. The 3-year-old horse had amassed earnings of $986,984 in eight starts before Saturday’s Preakness.

On Friday, the Cohens sold the half-interest to the partnership of Sequel Bloodstock and JMJ Stable for an undisclosed price.

High Fly flies low

High Fly, the race’s second favorite at 5-1, finished a disappointing 10th, the same place he also finished in the Kentucky Derby.

The Florida Derby winner broke sixth, and quickly found himself out of contention.

“My horse was never really in the race,” jockey Jerry Bailey said. “He usually lays close, but with the speed today we decided to lay six or seven back. After that, he was just spinning his wheels.”

Trainer Nick Zito’s horse finished in the money in his first six career starts before the Derby.

Zito’s other two entrants in the Preakness, Sun King and Noble Causeway, ran fourth and sixth respectively.

Cool Conducter wins Dixie

Conductor, an 11-1 shot, outdueled odds-on favorite Artie Schiller to win the $200,000 Dixie Stakes by a nose in a photo finish on the Preakness undercard. Cool Conductor engaged Artie Schiller at the top of the stretch and the two battled side by side to the wire.

Artie Schiller went off at 3-5 in the Grade 2 race at Pimlico. Cool Conductor was the second-longest shot in the five-horse field.