NEWS
Discreet Cat set for Vosburgh comeback
Posted: Monday, September 24, 2007 12:45 PM
DISCREET CAT WINNING THE 2006 CIGAR MILE (G1) AT AQUEDUCT
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
by Jeff Lowe
Discreet Cat will land in deep water in the Vosburgh Stakes (G1) on Sunday at Belmont Park in his first start since an utterly disappointing performance in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on March 31.
The Forestry colt went into the World Cup with a chance to verify himself as a superstar. He was undefeated in six career starts by margins never less than 3 ¼ lengths.
The acid test against Horse of the Year Invasor (Arg) unraveled quickly, as Discreet Cat trailed throughout the 1 ¼-mile World Cup and came out of the race with a throat abscess.
He was still recovering from the illness on May 20 when he returned to Godolphin Racing’s division at Belmont Park, and he did not resume serious training until late August.
Discreet Cat put in his fifth published workout on Monday, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.84 at Belmont. The six-furlong Vosburgh is a major steppingstone for the TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Monmouth Park, although Godolphin also is listing the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile as an option for Discreet Cat.
Smile Sprint Handicap (G2) winner Mach Ride, Aristides Stakes (G3) winner Fabulous Strike, and King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) runner-up First Defence are among the other candidates for the Vosburgh.
“I would say this is not the easiest comeback race in the world,” said Rick Mettee, the New York-based assistant to Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor. “He’s certainly done enough work to where he is fit, sound, and going into the race in good condition. It’s a pretty hot race; it’s a deep field with a lot of pace in there. Obviously, we’re getting near the end of the year where we can’t be too picky about choosing a comeback. It’s a Grade 1, and Saeed feels and Godolphin feels that he needs to establish himself in Grade 1s again. It will be good to get him back in a big race and in the national spotlight again.”
Discreet Cat also spent five months on the sidelines last year after his win in the United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G2). He returned with an 11-length allowance victory at Saratoga in late August and followed with emphatic wins in the Jerome Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) at Belmont and Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct.
“He had a layoff after he got here last year because of a sickness, but nothing like this year,” Mettee said. “This took a lot more time to heal up. It’s been a pretty steady road back but a long one. It will be good to get a gauge against real good sprinters here to see where he fits.”
The Sprint will not necessarily be on the radar for Godolphin’s Afrashad, who won the James B. Moseley Handicap by four lengths on September 22 at Suffolk Downs. The Smoke Glacken horse finished fourth in the Troy Stakes at Saratoga in his only other start this year.
“We haven’t talked about it, but my gut feeling is no,” Mettee said. “Obviously he wouldn’t have enough points to get in. He’d have to be selected by the committee and I’m not even sure he’s done enough winning a listed race at Suffolk. We’d be thinking more like the [Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G1)] at Laurel Park.”
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
