Discreet Lover works at Parx for veterinarian

Discreet Lover, winner of the Grade 1 Jockey Gold Cup 11 days ago, worked a half-mile at Parx Racing on Wednesday morning and is expected to be removed from the veterinarian's list when his blood work returns, according to trainer Uriah St. Lewis.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series and earned Discreet Lover a fees-paid berth in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

Shari Silverman, a Pennsylvania state veterinarian, examined Discreet Lover and oversaw his workout, which Parx clocker Scott Bakos timed in 48.63 seconds.

"The state vet went over him with a fine-tooth comb this morning," St. Lewis said. "I was told he would be taken off the vet's list once his blood came back. I didn’t even give him Lasix this morning."

It is routine practice to do a blood screen on a horse working to come off the vet's list.

"The blood work rules for are the same as for a race-day sample," Silverman said. "The blood will go out Monday and it will take about a week to get the results."

St. Lewis said he was pleased with the work and that Discreet Lover is "right, right now." He said he planned to wait until Discreet Lover was officially removed from the vet's list before finalizing his shipping plans to Kentucky.

Discreet Lover was placed on the vet's list at Belmont because the NYRA veterinary staff did not like the way the horse returned to the winner's circle after the Jockey Club Gold Cup, which he won by a neck over Thunder Snow.

"He ties up," St. Lewis said. "Everyone's opinion is different. He ran fast in the Jockey Club. He went in 1:59 and change."

This is the second time this year Discreet Lover has been on the vet's list in New York. He also was put on the list after finishing fourth in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont in June. He was not put on the vet's list following his third-place finishes in the Suburban or Whitney or his 12-place effort in the Woodward.

St. Lewis, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, bought Discreet Lover for $10,000 as a 2-year-old. Now 5, he is 7 for 44 with more than $1.3 million in earnings. St. Lewis said the Breeders' Cup will be his final career start.