Alex the Great? Not quite so fast

NEW YORK -- They are calling him ''Alex The Great" after Afleet Alex's dominating victory in the Belmont Stakes Saturday, and, certainly, the small colt with the big heart is the best of his generation. But he will have to do more than beat up on his fellow 3-year-olds to truly be considered great.

Out there waiting are 5-year-old Ghostzapper, the 2004 Horse of the Year, and other top older horses. Afleet Alex is going to have to defeat his elders in the fall if he wants to be considered a real champion.

The good news is that the five members of Cash Is King Stable, led by managing general partner Chuck Zacney, insist they will keep Afleet Alex, who was purchased for $75,000, in training through his 4-year-old season. That would give an already popular horse, who also won the Preakness, a chance to build a resume.

Smarty Jones, who lost a Triple Crown bid in last year's Belmont, was retired after he suffered some leg problems following the race. It was thought Smarty Jones could have run at age 4, but his owners took the money ($39 million) and sent him to the breeding shed. That drew criticism from a disappointed racing community, and Smarty Jones lost some of his luster.

Cash Is King Stable seems determined to avoid that situation. It turned down an offer of $650,000 after Afleet Alex won his first career start, scoring at Delaware by more than 11 lengths last June, and it turned down a $2 million offer after he won his first stakes race, the Sanford at Saratoga in July, by more than 5 lengths. It looks like the stable may be in it for the long haul.

''We never got into this for the money," said Zacney, who was at the barns yesterday. ''I think he's going to get better with age. We're so attracted to Alex, and there are so many people attracted to this horse, that I'd hate to see an end to the trip.

''At the end of October, after the Breeders' Cup [Oct. 29 at Belmont], if all goes well, I think we'll probably start entertaining offers. But I don't see anything before that. We won't take any new partners on the racing end, only for breeding."

Trainer Tim Ritchey has big plans for Afleet Alex, including running him on the grass next season. Before the Belmont, he estimated the colt was worth $20 million to $25 million.

''No, he's not going to be retired," Ritchey said yesterday. ''As long as he's healthy and sound, he will run as a 4-year-old. The owners are in 100 percent agreement with that. We've had probably 15 farms call us, and the one condition we have in anything we do with any breeding farm is that he will run as a 4-year-old.

''I think that will make the horse more valuable. I think the owners are having the time of their lives, and I know I am. If we can get one more year, it makes him a better breeding prospect. He will have run at 2, 3, and 4, in major races, and hopefully he'll do some things in the future. There's a lot of things we can do with this horse. He has won from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile and a half, and he could potentially win on the grass. At stud, he could offer speed for sprinters, ability for grass horses, and also stamina for endurance horses.

''I think his value has dramatically increased after the way he won the Belmont."

Next for Afleet Alex will be the Haskell at Monmouth Aug. 7 and/or the Travers at Saratoga Aug. 27. But the real test will come when he shows up at the Breeders' Cup. That's when we'll find out whether he's great or not.

Reverberate, owned by Centennial Farms, suffered a severely cut tongue when finishing 10th in the Belmont. ''He had a mouthful of blood," said trainer Sal Russo. ''It was so bad, I could see it from the box seats. He cut his tongue in three places. I think he did it when he stumbled out of the gate. He was probably pretty scared after that, running with a mouth full of blood. He was nowhere near the lead, and he's a horse who wants to be up in the fight. Circumstance prevented him from running his race. I still think he fits with the Belmont horses. We'll get him ready for Saratoga." . . . John Shirreffs, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, who finished seventh, returned to California after the race. Giacomo flipped his palate during the race, reducing air flow. His connections soon will make a decision on whether he needs minor surgery.