Derby News

(March 25, 2006) - Discreet Cat put on another impressive performance when he powered home to take the $2 million U.A.E. Derby (GII) under Frankie Dettori at Nad Al Sheba on Saturday.

The win was the third in as many starts for the son of Foresty who began his career at Saratoga last August. That win, when he recorded a stunning 106 Beyer Speed Figure, attracted the attention of the Godolphin Racing empire, who bought him for a reported $5 million shortly afterwards. The colt did not race again until March 9 in Dubai, when he was the easiest kind of winner prepping for today's race.

Under the lights in Dubai, Discreet faced a much tougher group than he had previously. Several top southern hemisphere horses had come northward for the big purse, but the Godolphin colorbearer dismissed all his foes fairly easily. Under Frankie Dettori, Discreet Cat raced in mid-pack until they hit the top of the three furlong stretch. At that point, Discreet Cat swung out to pass the frontrunners, taking over readily and drawing off for about a six length win, stopping the timer in 1:49.56 for the 1 1/8 miles. Longshot fast-finishing stablemate Testimony was second, with Japanese-trained runner Flamme De Passion was third.

Detorri commented on the race and possible future plans afterwards. "I was happy to stay off the pace but when I asked him to quicken, he went away. For a horse with no experience he has really done the job. Whether he goes to Kentucky (for the Derby) or not is another matter but it was an impressive performance all the same."

Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford added: "He lacks experience and that was one of the reasons why we needed the horse to do the talking himself. We have to decide which way to go now. He might not be a horse to backup too quickly and we need to decide if he is ready for Kentucky. He is still quite an immature colt but I think this race will have done him a lot of good."

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