One Year Later, The Memory of Jeremy Rose's Eventful Ride Lingers at Pimlico Race Course

The terrifying vision of Afleet Alex being knocked to his knees and nearly out of his rightful place in Preakness history a year ago still lingers during a cursory glance at the empty lanes on the final turn at Pimlico Race Course.
But for the remarkable athleticism of the colt’s rider, Afleet Alex was bound for certain defeat and a potentially devastating injury. Fortunately, the story of Preakness 130 had a happy ending authored by the pen-less hand of jockey Jeremy Rose.
“I had planned on hitting the ground,” said Rose after last year’s Preakness, recounting the scariest mishap on the Triple Crown scene since Alysheba went to his knees in the stretch while winning the 1987 Derby. “I already had a spot picked out. I figured we were gonna get run over.”They didn’t, and Afleet Alex continued on to victory and then to an eventless romp in the Belmont Stakes three weeks later for two-thirds of the Triple Crown. Life hasn’t been quite the same ever since for Jeremy Rose – life at the racetrack, that is. “I don’t feel life has really changed for either of us,’’ said Rose’s agent, “Kid” Breeden. “We’re pretty well grounded, even-keeled guys. The quality of horses we’re riding and the quality of trainers who are calling has changed.”
Rose’s star had risen quickly after he earned the Eclipse Award as the leading apprentice jockey in North America in 2001 when he won 312 races, but his association with Afleet Alex and that indelible performance in Preakness 130 landed the former high school wrestler on a national forum.
“Give the horse 100 percent of the credit,’’ said Breeden, speaking more like a trainer than Rose’s agent. “Jeremy was able to be acrobatic and help bring Alex back to stride, but that didn’t really surprise me. They’re both tremendous athletes.”
Afleet Alex made an early departure to the breeding shed, however, and Rose has returned to a lower profile at his main base at Delaware Park waiting for his next Classic horse.
Any chance of repeating last year’s feat will be significantly diminished on Saturday when he rides long shot Hemingway’s Key, but trainer Nick Zito figured he couldn’t pass up a chance to get the defending champion on his team for this Preakness.
“No. 1, he’s a quality guy,’’ said Zito, who teamed up with Rose on a number of mounts during the recent Gulfstream Park meeting. “He’s also a tremendous athlete, as he proved last year in this race. I thought that was great. I think he’s got a great future. He may not be there right now, but he will be in two or three years.”
Nobody has to convince Afleet Alex’s trainer Tim Ritchey of that fact.
“I always thought Jeremy was an outstanding rider,’’ Ritchey said. “Jeremy rode Alex tremendously in the Triple Crown races. (In the Preakness) he did something that champions do.” Instead, the 27-year-old’s career is thriving as he attempts to win his third Triple Crown event. Rose is currently second in the jockey standings at Delaware Park with 15 wins. The rider he trails is Ramon Dominguez, the jockey aboard Scrappy T in last year’s Preakness.
Source: www.preakness.com