Determined Kingdom in sharp form for Disco Partner Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Determined Kingdom is the most experienced, arguably most accomplished, and on his best day the fastest member of the field for the $150,000 Disco Partner Stakes on Sunday at Saratoga. The combination, if he goes postward anywhere near his 5-1 morning line, could make Determined Kingdom the best betting value in a wide-open field of eight older horses entered to contest the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint.

The 7-year-old Determined Kingdom will be making his 37th career start while seeking his 13th lifetime victory. He is the only Grade 2-placed member of the field, having finished third in the Troy Stakes here last summer. The 97 Beyer Speed Figure he earned for that performance and the 99 he received winning a high-level allowance dash at Keeneland during the fall of 2024 are the two highest numbers posted by any member of the Disco Partner lineup.

Determined Kingdom enters the race in top form, having captured an optional-claiming and allowance dash over the local strip late this spring before shipping to Colonial Downs to register a popular victory in a restricted stakes. He is coming off a close second in restricted stakes company at Colonial for trainer Michael Trombetta.

“He had kind of an unlucky year last season and it’s taken a while for him to find the winner’s circle for us, but he appears to be putting it together pretty good right now and still running very well at his age,” said Trombetta. “I had him cross-entered at Colonial on Monday [in the $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes] but that race came up with a full and very competitive field. For whatever reason, he seems to really like the Saratoga turf, so we decided to take a chance and bring him up there instead.”

Determined Kingdom has been ridden by five different jockeys in his last five starts and will have another new one, John Velazquez, aboard for the Disco Partner.

Creditworthy, trained by Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables, looms the likely favorite and one to beat coming into the race having won three of his last four starts dating back to the summer of 2025. Each of those victories came over the Saratoga turf.

Returning from an 11-month layoff on Aug. 2, Creditworthy rallied from last to score a popular half-length victory in a high-end conditioned allowance race here, earning a career-best 92 Beyer.

Brown said Creditworthy was sent to the sidelines after the second of his three local tallies last August because “he wasn’t moving well. We gave him a bunch of time and now he’s perfect.”

Brown acknowledged that Creditworthy is a big fan of the local turf.

“The fact he likes this course is probably one of the reasons he ran as well as he did off that kind of layoff,” said Brown. “And that was one reason to step him up here in this spot.”

Creditworthy is one of four members of the field coming into the Disco Partner off a victory. That group includes Bite and Strike, who has won three races in a row, including two on grass since being claimed by trainer Linda Rice during the spring at Keeneland; the speedy Jean Valjean, off a wire-to-wire restricted stakes tally three weeks ago at Penn National; and No Evidence, who appears to be rounding back to the form that helped him to finish third in a pair of Grade 3 stakes here last summer.

– additional reporting by David Grening