AFLEET ALEX IN LINE FOR A `CLASSIC' FINISH.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Horse Racing

INGLEWOOD - A good 3-year-old shouldn't lose his shot at greatness after coming so close to sweeping the Triple Crown. So now that Afleet Alex has won two out of three classics, let's give him a shot at three out of four.

Afleet Alex finished third in the Kentucky Derby - one length behind Giacomo - before winning the Preakness by 4 3/4 lengths and Saturday's Belmont Stakes by seven.

The fourth classic would be the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 29 at Belmont Park, where Afleet Alex would face older horses for the first time.

The retirement Monday of 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic champion and Horse of the Year Ghostzapper makes it more likely that Afleet Alex will be pointed for North America's richest thoroughbred race. Trainer Tim Ritchey had been talking about the Breeders' Cup Sprint or Breeders' Cup Turf.

``Hey, why not shoot for the Classic?'' Chuck Zacney, head of the colt's ownership group, told Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer after the Ghostzapper announcement.

How special would it be if Afleet Alex added the Breeders' Cup Classic to his haul?

Since the Breeders' Cup era began in 1984, no horse has swept the Triple Crown, while 13 have won two of the three races.

Of those 13, eight did not compete in the Breeders' Cup Classic because of injuries or poor form.

Of the remaining four, two horses - War Emblem (2002) and Funny Cide (2003) - each won the Derby and Preakness but failed to distinguish themselves, running eighth and ninth, respectively in the Classic.

Alysheba, who won the Derby-Preakness double, ran a memorable second in the Classic, getting nosed out by Ferdinand at Hollywood Park in 1987.

In similar fashion, Tabasco Cat won the Preakness-Belmont double and led in the Classic before getting caught by Concern at Churchill Downs in 1994.

That leaves one horse in 21 years.

In 1989, Sunday Silence and Pat Valenzuela won the Derby and Preakness before Easy Goer stomped the California colt in the Belmont Stakes. Sunday Silence was the bettors' second choice behind Easy Goer going into the Breeders' Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park, but managed to hold off Easy Goer by a neck to complete a record $4,578,454 season.

Can Afleet Alex match the great Sunday Silence?

With Ghostzapper out, Afleet Alex would be on the list of Classic favorites with older horses Roses in May, Eddington and Saint Liam.

First, the relatively hard-raced Afleet Alex must get through a summer schedule that could include the Aug. 7 Haskell at Monmouth, the Aug. 27 Travers at Saratoga and the Oct. 1 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

--Fault lines: While there were no signs that the horses felt the 4.9-point earthquake that struck during Hollywood Park's second race Thursday, the quake did inspire some gallows humor from track announcer Vic Stauffer.

``Folks, we are in the middle of an earthquake here in Southern California,'' Stauffer told his audience - which includes simulcast viewers nationwide - as the leaders hit the backstretch.

Stauffer went back to calling the action as the bouncing continued, then said: ''By the way, folks, I want you to know I loved you all and horse racing was my first love.''

As Dark Beauty and jockey Kerwin John edged Pleasant Thunder to win the 1-mile turf race, Stauffer called: ``These two come to the wire in a shaker! I don't know, nor care, who won the photo.''

Hollywood Park officials reported no damage to the 67-year-old structure.

--Fastball: Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny is just 3-3 on the mound this season, but 1-0 as a thoroughbred owner.

Excess Temptations, a 3-year-old gelding that Penny has a one-quarter interest in, rallied from last with jockey Jon Court to win at 6-1 odds in Hollywood Park's sixth race Thursday.

``I'm just starting to get into it a little bit,'' Penny told the Daily News' Tony Jackson recently. ''I used to go to Calder all the time when I was with the Marlins. I just thought (racing) was fun and interesting. So I just thought it might be fun for me to try it from a different angle.''

Excess Temptations, bred in California by John Harris, is owned by a group that includes Harris Farms, El Rey Racing, Dan Prince and WGAS Racing. The horse earned $27,000 by winning the turf sprint.

Penny, in Kansas City with the Dodgers at the time of the race, found out he'd won when he phoned trainer Howie Zucker in the winner's circle.

``I kind of shocked him, telling him he's 1 for 1 as an owner,'' Zucker said.

Penny follows Paul Lo Duca and Steve Finley in the line of Dodgers horse owners.

--This weekend: The Californian, the last major race for older horses at Hollywood Park before the July 9 Hollywood Gold Cup, drew a field of eight that includes Ace Blue (David Flores riding), Borrego (Garrett Gomez) and Choctaw Nation (Victor Espinoza).

Look for either Buzzard's Bay (Espinoza), the Santa Anita Derby winner before his Kentucky Derby fifth-place finish, or Surf Cat (Alex Solis), a 6 1/2-furlong winner in 1:14 2/5 to be the favorite in Saturday's Affirmed Handicap.

Saturday's Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs features Saint Liam (Edgar Prado) trying to bounce back from his sixth place finish to Rock Hard Ten in the Santa Anita Handicap. Badge of Silver (Jerry Bailey) appears to be Saint Liam's main competition.

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BY KEVIN MODESTI