Sharp as ever, Discreet Marq dominates Grade 3 Beaugay in 5-year-old debut

by Sarah Mace

Discreet Marq, Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd.’s blockbuster $2.4 million purchase at last year’s Fasig-Tipton November sale, added to her graded stakes resume Saturday when she captured the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at Belmont Park in her 5-year-old debut.

After purchasing the nearly-white grey daughter of Discreet Cat, Moyglare Stud opted to race her for another year before sending the Grade 1 winner to Ireland to be bred. They retained the services of trainer Christophe Clement, who campaigned the mare for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio, and in her first start for her new connections in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar on November 30, Discreet Marq was just edged for second.

Back to the races after 160 days with jockey John Velazquez aboard for the first time, Discreet Marq received a Hall of Fame ride from the Hall of Famer, as Velazquez used both race dynamics and his mount’s abilities to best advantage.

After the seven fillies and mares broke from the gate, 9-5 favorite Discreet Marq darted to the front from the outside stall and proceeded to dictate a dawdling early pace, completing the first quarter-mile of the 1 1/16-mile turf contest in 26.13 and the first half in 50.85.

Continuing on an uncontested lead through the far turn and increasing her advantage to three lengths, Discreet Marq picked up the pace in upper stretch. Asked for kick inside the furlong marker as the closers loomed, the mare delivered, absolutely flying home to win by 1 3/4 lengths. She completed the last five-sixteenths of a mile in 28.28 and stopped the clock at 1:42.15. Next across the line was Photo Call, followed a half-length back by Recepta and J Wonder, who finished noses apart. Testa Rossi, Radiator and Caroline Thomas completed the order of finish. [VIDEO[2]]

Velazquez reported, “I had a perfect trip; [Discreet Marq] broke well and we weren’t expecting much speed, so she ended up on the lead. I wanted to make sure to let her run from the gate since there wasn’t any speed on paper. Nobody went, so we went [a half-mile] in :50 and change all by herself. After that, I just let her do what she wanted to do. She had plenty left in the stretch.”

Christophe Clement, who had won the Beaugay three times before, was thrilled by his fourth victory. “Everything is good,” said Clement. “It’s nice when they come back. That’s what good horses do – they win.”

The trainer continued, “Great trip, great ride. She’s a good filly. Life is good. I’m delighted because Moyglare stepped up to buy her in the November sale and she came back to win a [graded] race right away for them, so that’s wonderful. This is a good start. Moyglare has been supporting the barn for many years so it’s nice to do well for them.”

Discreet Marq’s first victory in the colors of Moyglare Stud was her eighth overall, her seventh stakes tally and third graded win in 21 starts. Owner also of five seconds and a third, the mare increased her earnings to $1,193,900.

A juvenile maiden-breaker at second asking in a turf sprint at Saratoga, Discreet Marq has spent the rest of her career facing stakes company and her first stakes victory came later that year in the Lie Low Stakes at Aqueduct. At three she won the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont, the Eventail for state-breds, the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and Pebbles Stakes. She also won last year’s renewal of the Ticonderoga on Empire Showcase Day.

Seldom out of the money, she has been consistently in the hunt at the Grade 1 level since 2013. In addition to her Del Mar Oaks score, she finished second that year in the Garden City Stakes and Matriarch Stakes, and, last year, was second in the Jenny Wiley and third in the TVG Diana and Matriarch stakes.

Foaled at Keane Stud[4] in Amenia, Discreet Marq is out of the multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes placed Marquetry mare To Marquet ($198,236), a Kentucky-bred Generazio homebred. Frank Generazio Jr. also bred To Marquet’s dam, Florida-bred Pretty Momma, a multiple stakes winner.

To Marquet has produced two more successful turf stakes performers. Marquet Cat (Cat Thief) has earned nearly $400,000 from 61 starts and Marquet Madness (Pico Central) earned over $200,000. To Marquet currently has a 2-year-old colt named Too Discreet and a yearling colt, named Discretionary Marq, both full siblings to Discreet Marq. She delivered a filly by Ghostzapper on March 15 this year.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/09/discreet-marq-g3-beaugay/

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