Discreetness's nose hits wire first in Springboard Mile

The $250,000 Springboard Mile for 2-year-olds was decided by the slimmest of margins on Sunday, when Discreetness won by a nose over Suddenbreakingnews. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to favorite Esposito.

“It was quite exciting at the end,” said Jon Court, who rode Discreetness. “It was a little too tight for comfort, but you’ve got to admit, it was exciting.”

The Springboard Mile was one of five stakes on the closing-day card at Remington. It also was the final race for Cliff Berry, who retired from riding following a seventh-place finish aboard Better Than Magic. Berry is a winner of more than 4,500 races and is the all-time leading jockey at both Remington Park and its sister track, Lone Star Park.

Discreetness ($21.40) settled in the second flight in the Springboard Mile, run on a sloppy track in which front-runners had thrived. He raced about five lengths off leader Giant Trick, who set a pressured pace of 23.50 seconds for the opening quarter and 46.58 for the half-mile. Discreetness moved up on the final turn, came four wide into the stretch, and edged Suddenbreakingnews, who had split horses nearing the wire. Discreetness covered the distance in 1:39.15.

“The horse has really come a long way,” Court said. “He’s still really learning how to run. He put it together tonight, showed what he’s capable of doing.”

Jinks Fires trains Discreetness for Xpress Thoroughbreds.

Fires said Discreetness would now be pointed for the $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. The mile race Jan. 18 starts series of stakes for 3-year-olds at the track. Fires is based at Oaklawn.

“We plan to go to the Smarty Jones and then from there, hopefully right on through,” Fires said. “We hope to get to the Kentucky Derby, but we’ll walk one step at a time.”

Discreetness was racing around two turns for the first time in his career in the Springboard Mile. He came into the race off a fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Street Sense at Churchill Downs. Discreetness earned $150,000 for his win in the Springboard Mile.

Discreetness is a son of Discreet Cat and was bred in Kentucky by Trackside Farm and Tenlane Farm.