Class and Looks, Discreet Marq has it all
Some horses just grab your soul right away. Whether it be the look in their eye, the color and shine to their coat, their distinctive markings, or simply the way they move, you cannot help but to have a soft spot for them whenever and wherever they race. At least, that has been my experience in four decades plus of loving the Thoroughbred, and there is not a horse currently in training that fits the bill more for me, than the turf loving Discreet Marq.
After finishing off the board in her career debut, a five furlong sprint on the dirt at Saratoga, the daughter of Discreet Cat has run on the grass in 18 consecutive races. Seven of those turf efforts have resulted in victories, including today’s effortless win in the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes at Belmont Park. Discreet Marq is more than her excellent turf record, her six lifetime stakes wins, and her more than $1 million earned on grass courses throughout America, though. Not only is she a beauty, but she also is as honest as they come.
In those 18 career turf races, she has failed to hit the board a grand total of one time. Unfortunately for Discreet Marq supporters, that one instance took place in her last race when she finished 6th, beaten 3 ¾-lengths, in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland. She had come close plenty this year, but coming off the worst race of her turf career, coupled with an 0-for-5 record this year, doubters were beginning to wonder if the four-year-old Christophe Clement trainee had lost a step. Sometimes all a good horse needs is a confidence boost, though, and that is exactly what Discreet Marq found in the Empire Showcase card at Belmont.
Today Discreet Marq dropped down in class, and that meant big trouble for her New York-bred competition. After running in Grade 1 races four of her five races this year, this afternoon’s affair marked the first time in a long time where she was the only Grade 1 winner in the field. She acted as such.
Under confident handling by rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., the New York-bred miss remained close to the lead throughout the early stages of the 8 ½ furlong affair. Looking every bit the 4-5 favorite that the bettors sent her off at in the 12-horse field, Ortiz and Discreet Marq waited for the turn for home before demonstrating her superiority. Taking over the lead quickly, the pretty gray opened up at the eighth pole, and by the time she hit the wire she was under wraps and three lengths ahead of second place finisher Old Harbor.
The simplicity of today’s score was not lost on winning rider. "She's such a nice filly,” said Ortiz. “She broke well, I sat and waited, and when I asked her, she took off. There weren't any surprises."
Discreet Marq is now a stakes winner in each of her three seasons of racing. Owned and bred by Patricia Generazio, she completed the trip over the good course in 1:44.36. By way of comparison, it took Kharafa .65 seconds longer to win the male version of this race earlier in the card, and for Discreet Marq, it could not have been much easier.
Not surprisingly, the proud conditioner of Discreet Marq has many of the same feelings for his filly that I do. "There's a saying, 'There's nothing like the drop,' and I guess this confirms it,” said Clement. “She's been running in Grade 1s all along and this was an easy race, and she won it very nicely. She's never run a bad race. She's a lovely mare."
As a handicapper, my head is not always on the side of Discreet Marq. Usually running against top competition, there are times when I think the race sets up best for one of her competitors. The heart wants what the heart wants, though, and no matter where my betting dollars may rest, I cannot help but to root for the gorgeous gray filly. Armed with renewed confidence from today’s easy win, both my heart and my head say to look for Discreet Marq to do something big again in the near future.