Discreet Cat makes huge statement in comeback

Joel Cunningham
Wire to Wire Editor

Discreet Cat reminded the racing public Friday afternoon that he too is one of the best of his generation by rolling to a seemingly effortless 11-length victory over a helpless group of allowance horses at Saratoga.

Fittingly, this dominating victory in his return to the races after a four-month hiatus comes on the eve of the Sheiks’ top 3-year-old performer – Bernardini – who will hold high expectations for the Dubai charge when he competes in the Travers (G1) as the prohibitive horse to beat.

After breaking well and settling wide down the backstretch, Discreet Cat, with jockey Garrett Gomez like a statue in the saddle, cruised up to the leaders under his own courage with a very wide run, and then the show was on. The brilliant son of Forestry swept to the lead with ridiculous ease and looked immortal as he kicked away from his overmatched rivals while in a gallop to the wire – very much like stablemate Bernardini did in the Jim Dandy (G2) a month ago.

Discreet Cat, the odds-on 2-5 gamble, stopped the clock in an eye-popping 1:21.53 for the seven furlongs over a fast but relatively ‘dead’ Saratoga main track.

It was an experience that had Gomez in awe after dismounting the stellar colt.

“I felt I had ridden some nice horses,” he quipped, as if to suggest that Discreet Cat may be the best he has climbed aboard. “He’s just a beautiful horse. I didn’t ask him to do anything; he did it effortlessly. If anything, I was trying to keep him idled down. When I pulled up, I told the outrider that he probably went in 1:22 or 1:23 because of the way the track has been. When I saw the teletimer, I was surprised.”

Undefeated and unchallenged in four career starts, Discreet Cat, easy winner of the Group 2 UAE Derby in Dubai in March in his last start, enjoyed a successful comeback on nearly the anniversary he impressively captured his career debut at the famous Saratoga Springs oval. It was after that race that he was privately purchased by Darley.

“He actually surprised me with how much speed he showed because we didn’t ask him for any in the morning," said Rick Mettee, assistant to winning trainer Saeed bin Suroor. “We just gave him steady moves. We wanted to teach him something today, so Garrett (Gomez, jockey) took him off the pace. There were some solid older horses, so I was happy he went by them as easy as he did.”

“This gives us five weeks to the Jerome [Grade 2, $150,000-added Jerome Breeders’ Cup Handicap, 3yos, one mile, Belmont Park, Saturday, October 7], and that one-turn mile at Belmont Park should be a good trip,” he added about the colt’s next highly-anticipated start. “I doubt you’ll see him in the Breeders’ Cup [Saturday, November 4, Churchill Downs] this year; first things first. We’ll go in the Jerome and see how he comes out. He won easier than I thought he would. It’s a weight off our shoulders to get him back.”