Discreet Cat's future
 

I hope I'm wrong but I do not think he'll race again-- I'll forgive a clunker. To the shed he goes....

Retiremet

The Greek version of the Cat?

Good one! :D

im sure they will say there was some type of injury and retire him

He's already run 7 times. We all know he's done enough.

--Dunbar

i hope he runs again....that was not the same horse who had gone undefeated to this point, who made such an explosive move there a year ago to win the uae derby...i'd hate to see him go out like that...
it's a shame that so many are going to bash the horse for todays uncharacteristic run, instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt. he was a poor imitation of himself today, and should not be judged off one poor effort!!

Yes, he's about as sound as.....Ghostzapper. He'd be on pace for about that many starts if he continues his career.

i could see him coming to toga..

It's the people who have been saying how great he is, and how he could come off of a long layoff in his first race at 10f and still air to this field, because he is just that superior and special, that has fueled any backlash. It's pretty clear the horse wasn't ready for this strong a race and shouldn't have started. Even 'superstars' need conditioning to be ready for the really big races.

I think it comes down to the fact that he cannot go over a mile. He is a great horse around a mile, but to go much over, especially a 1 1/4, is beyond him.

I, like everyone else, hopes that he doesn't have an "injury" and makes it back to the track, but who knows. He will probably be hanging out with Bernardini talking about the good ole' days after their first major loss...

ALostTexan

boy those arabs sure could train, what the hell were they thinking bringing him into the DWC the way they did and hope to win

From Godolphin.....

DISCREET CAT DOES NOT SPARKLE
31 March 2007

Godolphin’s Discreet Cat, one of the leading hopes for the 12th running of Dubai World Cup, failed to show his true form, trailing in last of the seven runners in the 10-furlong race on dirt.

Frankie Dettori broke well on Discreet Cat before holding up the four-year-old in sixth place on the inside at Nad Al Sheba on March 31.

The four-year-old then raced at the rear of the field in the world’s richest race as Forty Licks took them along.

Turning for home, Discreet Cat was asked to make some progress when switched to the outside but swung slightly wide into the straight and could make no impression on those ahead of him in the run to the line.

He was beaten a total of 23 lengths by Invasor who took the World Cup in determined fashion from Premium Tap for owner H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktown, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and jockey Fernando Jara.

Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, reported that Discreet Cat seemed alright after the race.

He declared: “Discreet Cat has run way below form - I don’t know why. He was never going a yard - it was a big surprise to us but that’s racing.

“We will give him some time out now and then get him back to America. It was very disappointing but all the good champions get beaten at some point and he will be back.”

Saeed bin Suroor, the Godolphin trainer, added: “It doesn’t look like Discreet Cat stays the distance and we will drop him back to a mile.

It was a disappointing performance tonight and we will see how the horse comes out of the race before making firm plans.”

Frankie Dettori commented: “He never ran his race - he was beaten before the turn for home.”

There are a ton of mile races for this guy this summer.I do NOT think they will retire him.The battle between the sheiks will continue.

I don't buy the distance limitation thing off of this effort--you can certainly make the argument in general but I don't think this proves it. I don't think he'd have run well today whatever the distance. If they'd like to think making it a mile would've been the difference they can go on and think that. I smelled a stinker from the second he left the gate and was kinda disappointed for a moment until I realized Invasor and Premium Tap were obviously going to deliver. I feel kinda proud of Premium Tap, I know that's weird, but I loved feeling good about him after his initial upset win last year and he continues to reward.

i think his minor illness that caused him to scratch a few weeks back might have something to do with it..he wasn't ready for a grueling race against the best in the world today...he's done well off a layoff in the past, but not against this type of competition...his return in the states looked good--but he should have looked good with who he faced that day. i understand there will be backlash, but to say he's no good is moving too far in the other direction.

I doubt if he will ever race again

Isn't it sad that everyone's (including myself) initial reaction to a poor performance is: when is the retirement party.

Yes but that is the way horse racing is these days. A horse can be undefeated, have one bad performance and rather than chalking it up to a really bad day, he needs to be retired. A shame really. If something isn't physically wrong I sure hope he sticks around.

I have this gut feeling that he will stick around.I don't think they will let him go out on such a bad note.There are a lot of races in New York this summer where he could clean up.

He was beaten from the jump it had nothing to do with the distance he was running. He never showed speed, travled ackward, obviously had no punch come the stretch. He never got into the race, needless to say it was a big disappointment.

I dont think they will retire him off a run like that. Crisford is right, every horse gets beat. Its just hard to imagine a horse with that kind of talent getting drummed if hes sound. It may be one of the worst training jobs of all time

Maybe they bought into the hype that he was a superhose and couldnt be beat. He certainly needed a prep somewhere in there, you cannot train up to a race like that and expect to run gangbusters. Not against those kind of horses, not with a true champion in the field.

He also may be an American horse now, needs bute, lasix, and all the other raceday medications to fire his best shot. Whatever the case that wasnt his best shot and I dont think hell retire off that crappy race.

It is too bad that the focus of the game for many is how quick they can get a horse to the breeding shed while racing and winning races is secondary after that initial "big win"

in another thread, a link was posted from seven stars site saying that dc has a throat infection.

Any infection at this point is bullshit. He either has some issues or he wasnt fit enough to run a race of that magnitude. I think its a combo of both, he has some issues, and they handled him too carefully getting him ready. Had no shot from the day they opted out of the prep. You dont train up to a race like that.

it's not bullshit....

but then, i remember when afleet alex lost badly at oaklawn, he was called everything people could think of--and they said infection. people cried foul then too--boy, they were on target!:rolleyes:

what, dc was supposed to tap on someones shoulder and say hey, my sinuses are draining? yeah, then i could train....

he's done well off a layoff before, so to say you don't train up is bullshit.

I don't think he was ready for the race. Anytime you miss a prep that was planned, you're in a bad spot.

I don't understand why the Sheikhs haven't cut ties with Saeed bin Suroor. Surely there is another muhammed or bin that can halfway train a horse over there.

Boss

Its bullshit, that horse was about 70%. They should be ashamed of themselves for even putting that horse in that spot off no prep. They deserved to get drilled. Too bad for the horse, hes a stone cold freak, however he cant condition himself. You cant run at 70% when you are up against monsters.

They pulled that horses blood and ran tests before the prep/workout, you dont think they would do that before a 6 million dollar race? If there was an infection they wouldnt have ran AGAIN. They have an unlimited supply of Frankle cards. The excuses after the fact are ridiculous, nobody wants to hear them. The only legitiment excuse is he was trained poorly, and thrown to the wolves short.

Exactly. The distance had nothing to do with him getting beaten. If he was up front and dropped back, I would agree. If he had just been a short horse and run the sort of race Arazi did in the Derby and was found wanting in the lane, I would agree. He was never in today's race. I would think that even his biggest doubters could see that. This race, for whatever reasons, was no different than Invasor's race in the desert last year; an obvious throwout.