Discreet Ops survives inquiry, takes Shine Again Stakes

A long steward’s inquiry ultimately dismissed two jockey objections in the $75,000 Shine Again Stakes at Timonium Race Course in Maryland on Saturday after 4-year-old filly Discreet Ops pulled away to win by 4 1/2 lengths for trainer Ben Feliciano Jr.

Discreet Ops last year faded to fourth in the Shine Again in the middle of a busy 3-year-old campaign, but she entered the 2025 running off a layoff of nearly five months. Owner Charles J. Reed said that time off has always made a difference for her.

“She always runs good fresh,” Reed said. “We entered her a couple other times and the races didn’t go, so we said, ‘let’s point to Timonium.’”

I’m a Cutie Pie and Touisset scratched from the six-horse field, and all four remaining rivals broke well and went for the early lead. Jockey Carlos Lopez could do very little when Discreet Ops traveled widest around the first turn as the quartet spread across the track through an opening quarter-mile in 23.86.

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Ginger Girl was the first to back out of early contention on the rail and never re-engaged with the top flight. Happy Clouds, Chapa, and Discreet Ops all kept pushing on the backstretch through a half-mile in 47.64, at which point the trio entered the far turn in tight quarters.

Happy Clouds, a 5-year-old mare trained by Ryan Gillespie, tried to move forward on the rail, but she steadied as the rivals to her outside exchanged bumps. Chapa, a 5-year-old mare trained by Bernie Houghton, was forced in and briefly bounced between horses while Discreet Ops tried to rally on the outside.

With a half-length lead on the outside entering the stretch, Discreet Ops extended near the wire, pulling away to win convincingly. Happy Clouds re-rallied after steadying but came up short by a nose behind runner-up Chapa.

Discreet Ops ($6.20) finished about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:19.52.

After the race, Denis Araujo, the jockey on Happy Clouds, launched an objection against Chapa while her jockey, David Cora, claimed foul against Lopez and Discreet Ops. In the end, no action was taken for alleged interference.

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