Too Discreet by a neck in Schenectady Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Overcoming a seven-minute delay, a mini-meltdown before the race, and a lack of running room early, Too Discreet became a stakes winner in his second career start, getting up in the final strides to win Friday’s $95,000 Schenectady Stakes at Saratoga.

Too Discreet, ridden by Joel Rosario, ran down the pacesetting tandem of Bruised Orange and Don’t Be So Salty in the final strides to win by a neck. Bruised Orange, who dueled throughout with Don’t Be So Salty, got second by a nose over that rival. Montauk Cove was last.

The start of the race was delayed several minutes as One Mean Man acted up in the starting gate and was scratched by the track veterinarian.
As the pre-race delay wore on, Too Discreet started to get antsy. When the gates opened, Too Discreet bumped hard with Montauk Cove, quickly recovered, and was chasing the two pacesetters. When it looked like it was going to get tight on him, Rosario pulled Too Discreet back and took him into the clear.

Bruised Orange and Don’t Be So Salty dueled through fractions of 22.14 seconds and a half-mile in 45.31.

Too Discreet was several paths wide in the stretch but responded to Rosario’s right-handed encouragement and persevered to the wire.

“He broke so sharp, and I can see the two horses on the outside of me wanted the lead,” Rosario said. “I don’t want to be on the lead. They tightened it up on me a little bit, and I had to take him back. When you go 5 1/2 furlongs and you do that, it takes a lot of aptitude to catch up to the leaders.”

The win was the second in as many starts for Too Discreet, a full brother to the Grade 1-winning mare Discreet Marq owned and bred by Patricia and Frank Generazio and trained by Christophe Clement.

“He’s a 2-year-old. It’s his second start; he’s still learning,” Clement said. “He’s a nice horse. He’s very well bred. As you know, he’s a full brother to the good mare Discreet Marq. We’ll have to think now. Do we stretch him to a mile maybe or give him a break? The important thing is next year in his career.”

Clement hopes Friday’s result was a harbinger for Saturday, when Rosario rides Red Vine for him in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.