Jan has been Discreet Cat's month

[Calzone Lord]

Discreet Cat was a great talent. In his debut at Saratoga, he won a 2yo MSW race running a few points faster than the undefeated sensation Lost In The Fog did in winning the Grade 1 King's Bishop on that exact same card.

After that win, Discreet Cat was bought from Robsham by Sheik Mohammed and was sentenced to spend the winter in Dubai. Normally, doom for an American 2yo.

In Dubai, Discreet Cat ran two amazing races. In just his 3rd career start, at 9 furlongs, he had the older Invasor (who had been training in Florida for Kiaren McLaughlin -- and would win the Pimlico Special against older horses less than 2 months later) at his flank and being hard-ridden to go with him. Discreet Cat effortlessly left him. On time, he ran a Beyer I estimated in the 114-to-116 range and the crushed Invasor was about the only horse who was forward and didn't stop in that race. Just great stuff from a 3rd time starter at 9f. Two other undefeated and very highly regarded older South American G1 winners also got crushed in there.

Discreet Cat missed the KY Derby. He was rumored lame and out of training.

He had a monster 3-race campaign to end the year. Ending with a 1:32 2/5th Cigar Mile win, equaling Easy Goer's track record.

He was subjected to a second trip to Dubai. He was entered and scratched out of his return race with a lung infection.

He was entered in the Dubai World Cup at 10fs with no prep race. Rumored to scratch, he "ran" -- he was dead last at every single call and tailed off to be beaten a pole. Even two slugs who had been running 2+ mile races at Saudi Arabian tracks showed more early speed and pulled away from him.

He returned to America, running dismally in the Vosburgh and BC Dirt Mile.

I was pretty excited about what he might do as a stallion.

Because he tanked so hard as a 4yo when he was performing at a claimer's level in his three races that season ... he didn't get the kind of support he should have. Shiek Mohammed also retired stallions Street Sense, Hard Spun, and Any Given Saturday at that same time -- and Bernardini just one year prior.

Anyway, from his first crop (current 3yo's) -- not a single yearling sold for more than $230,000. An unraced 3yo named Bulldog Legend (Indian Charlie mare) was the sales topper at 230K. That one just had its first five furlong work at Gulfstream this week.

I was excited to see his 2yo's at the under-tack show the following year. Other than a now unraced 3yo named Bubble Conditions who was quite fast -- there was nothing to see.

His 2-year-olds didn't do jack sh!t until December. All of a sudden, they've been coming out of the woodwork the last six or seven weeks.

He sired the winner of the two clear-cut fastest races at 8f or more by a 3yo this year. Those two races have gone 5 Beyer points faster than any other route race this month. He's had impressive maiden winners in Florida, Louisiana (a coupe of them), and New York. He's had a 2-for-2 stakes winner in Japan.

The stud fee is just $12,500 and his first crop are only newly turned 3yo's, so he's been all but written off even though his oldest foals have been racing less than a year. It will be interesting to see how the offspring do from here on out.

[Calzone Lord]

One of his offspring who finished 2nd in an alw turf sprint at FG yesterday I think will improve a lot on the stretch-out in distance.

Kind of a neat pedigree, Discreet Cat out of a Spectacular Bid mare.




The dam of this horse, Starlore, won multiple times at 12 furlongs and was Graded Stakes Placed. Won once at Arlington by 7 lengths in a nice race going 12 furlongs. Won once at Keeneland by 4.5 lengths in a nice race going 12 furlongs.

She debuted at 8.5 furlongs herself and was in the back. She never attempted to sprint and got a lot better with maturity and distance.

I look forward to see this horse stretch out beyond 5.5 furlongs. This is one of the half dozen or so promising Discreet Cat's to emerge in the past six or seven weeks.

[Scav]

After both those horses won impressively, he picked up close to 60 mares that Sunday and Monday as we were considering him for Wundelia, but no longer have the option

[parsixfarms]

I haven't seen too many up close. I have to think that the suprising lack of interest in his offspring and the sharp decline in his stud fee had to have something to do with Forestry's "fall from grace" (from a $100,000 stud fee to $12,500).

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

I haven't seen too many up close. I have to think that the suprising lack of interest in his offspring and the sharp decline in his stud fee had to have something to do with Forestry's "fall from grace" (from a $100,000 stud fee to $12,500).

I suppose Forestry didn't have a bad year last year with Shackleford winning the Preakness and all.

Had DC been retired at age 3 - as an undefeated phenom - with Bernardini - I bet he would have got supported a lot better.

Sheik Mohammed went on his most insane buying spree, and bought Street Sense, Hard Spun, and Any Given Saturday the folllowing year ... and while none of those horses could warm-up Discreet Cat on the race track, they all retired without seeing their form completely fall apart... and all retired at the same exact time.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

I suppose Forestry didn't have a bad year last year with Shackleford winning the Preakness and all.

Had DC been retired at age 3 - as an undefeated phenom - with Bernardini - I bet he would have got supported a lot better.

Sheik Mohammed went on his most insane buying spree, and bought Street Sense, Hard Spun, and Any Given Saturday the folllowing year ... and while none of those horses could warm-up Discreet Cat on the race track, they all retired without seeing their form completely fall apart... and all retired at the same exact time.

Despite having Shackleford last year, Forestry's stud fee stayed exactly where it was in 2011 - at $12,500 - at a farm that can be pretty aggressive with stud fees. His AEI v. CI numbers (1.53 v. 2.46) are pretty weak.

I tend to agree with you that, had Discreet Cat gone to stud a year earlier, he may have had better support. That being said, didn't Henny Hughes go to Darley the same year as Bernardini, and he's pretty much ended up in the same position (starting at $40K and now standing for $12,500) as Discreet Cat.

[Calzone Lord]

Wasn't a lot of Forestry's high stud fee because of The Green Monkey?

[Calzone Lord]

I'll spare the torture of a long post -- but French Deputy was an outstanding talent who only raced six times. He's turned into a killer broodmare sire.

He was trained by Neil Drysdale -- an old Charlie Whittingham asst -- and like Whittingham was said to be, Drysdale was not a very good trainer of 1st time starters or layoffs.

French Deputy won his debut in 1:08 3/5 at 5/1 odds at Santa Anita. It was 11 lengths back to 3rd place in a field of 10. Very well spread for just a 6f sprint.

In just his 4th career start, and off a 6+ month layoff, French Deputy ran a 119 Beyer while winning the '95 Jerome. Highest figure by any 3yo that season.

French Deputy was bought and sent to Japan when his oldest offspring were just 3-years-old.

So, basically, French Deputy only had 3 or 4 crops who raced in America. His best horse was champion, and freak, Left Bank. Unquestionably the best horse Todd Pletcher has ever trained.

French Deputy was champion 1st year and 2nd year sire in Japan - he was by all accounts a huge success as a sire in Japan.

What I was surprised at last night was how well he is doing as a broodmare sire with those 3 or 4 crops he left behind in America.

A lot of very good runners... and they are as precocious as hell.

[Indian Charlie]

French Deputy shoulda been a great one.

If you ever get a chance to see photos of him from when he was in training, do so. One of the best lookers I've ever seen.

[Calzone Lord]

He was great for four races.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Wasn't a lot of Forestry's high stud fee because of The Green Monkey?

I think he had reputation as a very good "sales sire" for which The Green Monkey served as the exclamation point.