Discreet Lover possible for Charles Town Classic

If Discreet Lover in the coming days continues to show trainer Uriah St. Lewis what he showed him Sunday morning, the upset winner of Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior at Aqueduct will make his next start in the $1.2 million Charles Town Classic on April 21.

“I personally walked him this morning and he wasn’t showing any signs of anything,” St. Lewis said by phone Sunday from Parx Racing. “By Tuesday or Wednesday, if he’s ready to go back to the track and everything goes right, we’ll go to West Virginia.”

Though that would mean running back in two weeks, Discreet Lover has previously done well in quick turnarounds. Last Nov. 22, he won the Swatara Stakes at Penn National 11 days after running second in the Richard Small at Laurel. As a 2-year-old, in 2015, he won a maiden race at Parx 16 days after he lost one at Saratoga.

Discreet Lover overcame a stumbling start to rally from well off the pace and win the Excelsior by 2 1/2 lengths over fellow Parx-based runner Zanotti. It was not only the first graded winner for St. Lewis, but it was an emotional victory since the horse’s previous rider was Jose Flores, the jockey who died on March 22 as the result of a spill suffered on March 19. Flores rode Discreet Lover in 21 of his first 36 starts.

“Jose was very instrumental in developing this horse,” St. Lewis said. “I’ll always have a soft spot for Jose.”

Discreet Lover earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for the Excelsior.