One-mile Forbidden Apple Stakes? No problem for turf sprint record holder Disco Partner

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[2]]

“[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 [3]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.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/07/15/forbidden-apple-disco-partner/

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What a Catch wires Rockville Centre

By Sarah Mace

Gary Barber’s What a Catch was first-crop sire Justin Philip’s first winner when he aced his debut by 5 1/2 lengths at Belmont on June 2 as the 7-5 favorite. The chestnut colt has now also become the stallion’s first stakes winner after scoring a wire-to-wire victory in the $125,000 Rockville Centre Stakes for New York-bred juveniles at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Second choice in the Rockville Centre at odds of 9-5 behind odds-on favorite Morning Breez, What a Catch went straight to the front under jockey John Velazquez, shadowed by Morning Breez, who raced a half-length back in second right at his flank. Analyze the Odds (9-2) set up a length back in third, Morrison (4-1) raced another length back in fourth, while longshot Over Salty was outrun from the bell and brought up the caboose of the five-horse field.

As What a Catch raced along the backstretch through an opening quarter in 23.12, Morning Breez pressed the issue, turning the affair into a full-fledged duel. The pair opened up more than 2 lengths on Analyze the Odds and Morrison and passed the quarter pole on even terms as the half clicked off in 46.48. The stage was set for a battle to the wire.

By midstretch What a Catch began to win that battle. Morning Breez never threw in the towel, and even came back gamely to tighten the finish in the final strides, but What a Catch secured a clear victory by one length. Six lengths back Analyze the Odds got third, while Morrison and Over Salty completed the order of finish. The final time for six furlongs over the fast main track was 1:11.21. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“We came out running,” said victorious Hall of Famer John Velazquez. “I thought the horse to the outside of me [Morning Breez] might make the lead so I came out running to see what he is going to do. And then he sat off of me and that was perfect and I stayed in front of him.”

Added Velazquez, “My horse seemed a little bit green, so it kind of helped him to have company. After that, I tried to get away from the horse at the quarter pole, tried to discourage the horse a little bit and I think it worked out.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s assistant Byron Hughes added his appraisal. “I thought [What a Catch] was very professional. He acted good in the paddock, post parade, broke sharp and fought off the second-place horse, who’s a nice horse himself. I thought it was a good race overall.”

Both jockey and assistant trainer also offered broader observations on the youngster’s prospects. Velazquez said, “The farther he goes the better he gets, so he seems pretty nice.” Hughes, for his part, commented, “He’s always been pretty classy, a bit precocious 2-year-old. He’s been benefiting from that and stepping up every time we’ve asked him.”

Bred by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy and foaled at Berkshire Stud[4], What a Catch, now a $97,000 earner from two victories, is one of five winners and the first stakes winner out of Catch My Fancy, a Florida-bred multiple stakes winner by Yes It’s True.

A graduate of the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale in Saratoga where he was purchased by Steve Venosa’s SGV Thoroughbreds for $90,000, his value skyrocketed the following year when Justin Casse had to go to $265,000 to get him after a well-timed headline-worthy catalogue update.

Catch My Fancy’s first foal Catch the Moon (Malibu Moon) is the dam of Girvin, who the weekend prior to the sale leapfrogged to the top of the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard when he won the Grade 2 Risen Star. Catch the Moon, who foaled a full sister to What a Catch on February 13, 2017, is also the dam of graded winner Cocked and Loaded.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/07/15/what-a-catch-rockville-centre/

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