Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Disco Partner right at home
ELMONT, N.Y. – Stormy Liberal came within a halflength of winning the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint on March 31 at palatial Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the house that Sheikh Mohammed built.
You might think Stormy Liberal would take all the beating Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational – but now Stormy Liberal is in Disco Partner’s house.
In 11 Belmont turf starts, Disco Partner has seven wins and two seconds. He missed by a neck to his stablemate Pure Sensation in the 2016 Jaipur and won the race a year ago with a dazzling stretch run, stopping the timer in a North American record 1:05.67 for six furlongs on turf.
Disco Partner’s last two starts produced a distant third April 7 at Keeneland in the Shakertown Stakes and a close third last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. No matter – those losses only help his price Saturday.
The Shakertown was run over soft ground, which Disco Partner doesn’t love, and at five furlongs the BC Turf Sprint fell short of Disco Partner’s ideal distance, between six and seven furlongs, according to Christophe Clement, who trains the 6-year-old gelding for his breeder, Patricia Generazio.
“He’s a top-class horse, a topclass sprinter,” Clement said. “He’s got a wonderful turn of foot and he always gives a good account of himself. I think he’s doing very well, training well. We’ve been aiming him to this race since Keeneland.”
The six-furlong Jaipur was upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2 since last year and got a $100,000 purse boost. It’s now the second-most-important North American turf sprint outside of the Breeders’ Cup, and is a BC Challenge Win and You’re In race linked to the Turf Sprint.
Pure Sensation, another Generazio-owned, Clementtrained horse, once may have been Disco Partner’s equal, but he’s a year older and was intended for a start at Penn National last weekend before a sore hoof forced a change of plans.
“I think we fixed the foot,” Clement said Wednesday morning. “He had his first day galloping this morning. He looked good to me. We’ll just have to maintain that foot. He’s also a top-class horse, plenty of speed, but he’s not the only speed in that race.”
Conquest Tsunami, who ships from California with Stormy Liberal for trainer Peter Miller, bursts with early speed and almost certainly will be part of the pace. Blind Ambition wired the Elusive Quality at Belmont on April 28, but that is a seven-furlong race, and while Blind Ambition is fast he projects more as a presser than leader Saturday.
Unbeaten Pocket Change is given a massive class rise by trainer Jason Servis and owners Gary and Mary West, but will at least be a pace factor and might not be overmatched. Pocket Change, an Unbridled’s Song 4-year-old, worked a few times in California in 2016, didn’t debut until last fall when he won a Parx Racing dirt maiden, and then delivered two powerhouse turf-sprint wins, at Aqueduct in December and at Gulfstream on March 22. Pocket Change cleared his second allowance condition by three-quarters of a length in the Gulfstream start while hand ridden and traveling very strongly.
Stormy Liberal has won only once in his last five starts, but that victory came in the BC Turf Sprint. It’s worth noting his worst 2017 performance, besides a failed trip to Hong Kong, was his eighth-place Jaipur finish. Stormy Liberal, who breaks from the rail, could be in for a favorable trip if all the pace shows. The same could be said for Holding Gold, who had a poor start and found traffic when seventh in the Al Quoz but came late for third at 19-1 in the 2017 Jaipur.
“He’s training as good as ever,” trainer Mark Casse said. “This is a good spot to come back in as any.”
Except for the fact Disco Partner is in the race.