Afleet Alex Helps Keep a Girl's Dream Alive

When Afleet Alex runs at the 137th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, he's not only doing so to win the last Triple Crown jewel. He's also doing it for a good cause.

The Preakness winner and top Belmont favorite is racing for more than just his second straight Triple Crown race victory, he's also running to raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The charity that started with one simple front-yard stand run by Alexandra Scott, a little girl from Wynnewood, Pa., who raised money for cancer research one glass of lemonade at a time.

Scott was 8 when she died last August after fighting an aggressive form of childhood cancer almost since birth. Her story made national news and her legacy lives on thanks to Chuck Zacney (Afleet's co-owner) and his horse, who have teamed with the Scotts to bring a greater awareness -- and increased donations -- to the lemonade stand.

Although one of them is no longer surviving, the two Alexes' lives are somewhat parallel. The horse had to be hand fed with a beer bottle of milk shortly after birth, and overcame a lung infection.

Alex, the girl, was diagnosed shortly before her first birthday with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer, was left paralyzed from the chest down after her first surgery. When doctors said Alex would never walk again, Jay Scott said his daughter worked to sit up without assistance and eventually walked without the aid of braces.

Afleet's near downfall during the Preakness reminded Liz Scotts of how her daughter Alex would stumble as she learned to walk, but always catching herself and staying determined to keep going.

Zacney has donated more than $100,000 to the foundation, and the Afleet Alex connection has brought an estimated $100,000 in donations. All the horse's merchandising material bears a lemon logo representing the charity.

Come Belmont race day, Saturday, about 30 racetracks are hosting lemonade stands.

"(Alex's story) has touched lots and lots of lives, and it's something America seems to have gotten behind,'' Afleet's trainer Tim Ritchey said. "I know the racing industry has.''

For complete 2005 Belmont Stakes contenders profile, plus extensive coverage of the Triple Crown, check out Horses Wild's Belmont Page. For horse racing tips, picks, and odds check out our Belmont Stakes Odds, Belmont Stakes Betting, and Belmont Stakes Picks.

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Belmont, Belmont Stakes, Belmont 2005