Cash Is King's Afleet Alex, winner of the Preakness (gr. I) and Belmont Stakes (gr. I), has been assigned highweight of 123 pounds for the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. 1) Aug. 7.Afleet Alex, by Northern Afleet , lost his bid for the Triple Crown in the first leg, when he finished third behind Giacomo and Closing Argument in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). He is trained by Tim Ritchey.Monmouth racing secretary Michael Dempsey assigned Afleet Alex three pounds more than Marshall E. Dowell's Scrappy T, who is in at 120 for the 1 1/8-mile mile Haskell.Three 3-year-olds -- Roman Ruler, Sun King, and Surf Cat -- drew 119 pounds for the Haskell. Fog City Stable's Roman Ruler, a multiple stakes winner at two last year, got back on the winning track by winning the Dwyer Stakes (gr. II) last out at Belmont. The son of Fusaichi Pegasus is trained by Bob Baffert, who has saddled two Haskell winners, Point Given in 2001 and War Emblem in 2002.Tracy Farmer's Sun King ran 15th in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness for trainer Nick Zito. He got back on the winning track last out, taking the Leonard Richards Stakes (gr. III) at Delaware.Aase Headley and Marsha Naify's Surf Cat, trained by Bruce Headley, is coming off a five-length victory in the Grade II Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park. The son of Sir Cat has won three of six lifetime starts in California.Char-Mari Stable's Park Avenue Ball was assigned 118 for the Haskell. The New Jersey-bred son of Citidancer won the gr. III Long Branch Breeders' Cup Stakes last week, Monmouth's final prep for the Haskell.
The list of weights follows:
Afleet Alex, 123
Scrappy T, 120
Dover Dere, 117
Roman Ruler, 119
Sun King, 119
Surf Cat, 119
Golden Man, 117
Magna Graduate, 117
Palladio, 118
Park Avenue Ball, 118
Wild Desert, 118
Pinpoint, 117
Shamoan, 117
Chekhov, 116
Indy Storm, 116
Devilment, 117
Smokescreen, 116
Papi Chullo, 116