Yaddo, Yaddo, Yaddo … Discreet Marq looms large

Three summers ago, Discreet Marq made her turf debut at Saratoga Race Course, and yadda, yadda, yadda, a beautiful grass career was born. In her most recent start at the Upstate New York racing mecca, the gorgeous, gray daughter of Discreet Cat went off as the slight favorite in a statebred stakes races, and yadda, yadda, yadda, she crossed the wire in second. I know what you are thinking, I am yadda-yadda’ing over the best parts, and you would be right. The winner of better than $1.2 million on the turf ran into a buzzsaw that most recent time at the Spa in the Yaddo Stakes. Said buzzsaw, Dayatthespa, would go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf a few months later, on her way to a year end Eclipse Award. On Friday, and sans her old rival, Discreet Marq looks to get that Yaddo victory this time against a field of ten other older New York-bred females.

As part of a $1.15 million afternoon for the statebreds on Travers Day Eve, the Moyglare Stud Farm owned and Christophe Clement trained star looms large as strictly the one to beat in the 35th running of the $150,000 turf affair. And who knows, maybe the talented five-year-old multiple graded stakes winner will start her own run like the one which began for Dayatthespa with the Yaddo.

As classy and honest as they come, Discreet Marq has already gotten off to solid start in 2015. She flashed her trademark speed when going wire-to-wire in the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont Park on May 9. She followed that up against the big girls in the Grade 1 Just a Game on Belmont Stakes Day. She made a nice run to take the lead into the stretch before yielding to Tepin and Filimbi late. Off that performance, and a bit of a freshening, she should be a handful in the Yaddo. The Hall of Famer Johnny V will be up in the saddle, and the pair will break as the favorite from post position 9.

No horse is a sure thing in racing, but despite the presence of some capable turf fillies like Invading Humor, Selenite, The Tea Cups, and Swear By It, this is clearly the beautiful gray mare’s race to win. If she does, it will add to her already gaudy grass record of 21-8-5-5, and it will likely be a bridge to bigger and better things. The benefit of a confidence builder like this should not be underestimated.

Don’t be surprised if when they look back at the 2015 racing season of Discreet Marq, and they yadda, yadda, yadda right over this one, but after last year we know better.