Trainer's client adds an additional $10K
BALTIMORE - The largest Preakness crowd in history helped Alex's Lemonade Stand raise $18,000 in charitable donations last Saturday, and a client of winning trainer Tim Ritchey donated another $10,000 to the cause.
The Pennsylvania-based charity had two stands at Pimlico Race Course during the Preakness, after collecting almost $11,000 earlier this month at the Kentucky Derby.
Alexandra "Alex" Scott was the 8-year-old founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand For Pediatric Cancer Research. Two days before her first birthday she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.
She opened her first lemonade stand in July 2000 with the idea of donating the proceeds to finding a cure. She died on August 1, 2004, but before her death set a donations goal of $5 million for this year.
The charity moved closer to that number at the Preakness.
"It really is amazing," said Liz Scott, Alex's mom. "We owe a tremendous amount of credit to the great people at Pimlico who helped put this together for us."
Afleet Alex won the race, and the handlers of the 3-year-old colt donate a percentage of the horse's winnings to the charity.
This week, Huckleberry Farm, a client of Ritchey, donated $10,000.
Pimlico has also committed to having a stand on June 11, the date the Belmont Stakes will be run in New York.
Watch the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press
