Afleet Alex's Star on the Rise

With a view to the future, it’s possible that the most significant race of the final weekend of springtime in the U.S. was the Pegasus Stakes (gr. III) June 19 at Monmouth. This is the time to look for potential “second season” stars, and with a decisive 1¾-lengths win here Afleet Express placed himself firmly among their number, the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) now being an obvious target. The Pegasus was the first try in stakes company for Afleet Express, who had broken his maiden at Aqueduct in December in his only 2-year-old start. After a second and a fifth in Gulfstream Park allowance races, the 3-year-old delivered a breakout performance May 22 in a seven-furlong allowance at Belmont Park, scoring by 7¾ lengths.