NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
It’s official: Frank and Patricia Generazio’s homebred Disco Partner, the record-setter for six furlongs on turf in the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational at Belmont Park on June 10 (1:05.67), now has new worlds to conquer after a commanding victory in the one-mile $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes.
Disco Partner’s connections regarded stretching Disco Partner out as something of an experiment. When the race was drawn, trainer Christophe Clement said, “I’ve always wanted to try [Disco Partner] at a mile. He came out of the Jaipur great and he’s been training well, so we want to see how he’ll be able fare at this distance.” Disco Partner fared very well indeed.
Following a sharp clean start, Disco Partner, who was the 7-5 post time favorite, spent the first part of the race in the second flight at the rail, with Grade 1 stakeswinner Grand Arch just to his outside. Meanwhile, fellow New York-bred King Kreesa led the way, ultimately to be drawn into a duel with aggressively-ridden 21-1 longshot Cerise’s Prince. The top pair opened up three lengths on their pursuers through opening splits of 23.91 and 46.84.
Regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr., stock-still on Disco Partner for three-quarters of a mile, maneuvered into the three path at the head of the stretch and asked the grey for run.
Shaken up, Disco Partner swept past King Kreesa, who had wrested the lead back from Cerise’s Prince, and with the powerful closing kick familiar from his sprint victories, drew off to win by 3 1/4 lengths. To quote race caller Larry Collmus, “Oh yeah, he can stretch out!”
After a closing quarter in 23.39, Disco Partner’s final time for the mile over the firm going was a flashy 1:33.49. New York-bred Get Jets won a close photo with Bondurant for second, both of whom edged King Kreesa in the final strides, forcing him to settle for fourth. Completing the order of finish were New York-bred Offering Plan, Cherise’s Prince and Grand Arch. [VIDEO REPLAY]
“[Disco Partner]’s a nice horse and he has a good mind,” said Irad Ortiz, who knows his mount well. “He broke good and he’s there when you ask him. He waits until you need him at the end, that’s his style. He can do anything; he can go a mile, he can sprint. I’m happy with him.”
Clement said “I think he’s a very nice horse. He trained great; he gets on very well with Irad and I just think six [furlongs], seven-eighths to a mile, he can do whatever he wants. He ran well.”
The conditioner and his owners now have some enviable options to mull over. “We’ll have to think about putting together a nice summer campaign,” said Clement. “I think he’s top class. He’s not Breeders’ Cup eligible, so I’ll have to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Generazio and we’ll try to map out the next two to three starts for him between now and the end of the year and try to do the best we can.”
As Clement sees it, “The choices are: do we run him right back in the Troy [$250,000, August 6, 5 1/2 furlongs]? Do we go for the Fourstardave (Grade 1, $500,000, August 12, one mile]? Do we keep him at a one-turn mile at the Woodbine Mile [Grade 1, $800,000, September 16]? I’m not sure. I’ll just have to think about it.”
Another consideration is that it may now be possible to separate Disco Partner from stablemate Pure Sensation, another Generazio homebred and star turf sprinter.
Disco Partner, now an earner of $708,810 from eight wins, four seconds and two thirds in 18 career starts, is a third-generation Generazio homebred and was foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia,
His dam Lulu’s Number (Numerous) is a New Jersey-bred multiple winner of over $200,000 trained by Ben Perkins, Jr. As a broodmare, she has produced five winners from six starters, including Don Six’s Number (Don Six), a stakes performer and earner of $212,686. She has a 2-year-old filly by Posse named Lulu’s Partner, and delivered a colt by First Samurai on February 14, 2017.
Patricia Generazio bred Disco Partner’s second dam Mary Lou’s Magic (Concord Dream) in Florida, and the winning mare was trained by Frank.
