Afterthoughts on Disdainful - B.C. (Before "Ceasar")

More than two years ago, we bought into a horse named Disdainful, an Irish bred who had won his first start in the UK. He ran twice more for us, never finishing off the board. We lost Disdainful in January of 2023 to peritonitis. It was a devastating blow, since "Dane" was looking to be the best horse we'd ever partnered on to that date. But there are two horses who will always remind me of our imported son of Kessaar (Kodiak).

One of those horses was General Jim, a Grade 2 winning son of Into Mischief. Disdainful ran against him in his first race ever in the US at Keeneland, separating himself from the pack and running a game 2nd to General Jim's win. (We would later own our own graded stakes winning son of Into Mischief, named Lane Way.)

Ironically, General Jim came back the following spring (2023) to win the G2 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby day. I burst into tears upon seeing his victory, with such a heavy heart for what might have been. Ironically, the horse that would succeed him in winning the Pat Day Mile this year was none other than our Seize The Grey, a horse who fulfilled all the dreams we'd once had for our "Dane." 

The whole situation with Seize The Grey (who would have been the first also eligible at the time the Derby closed, but would not have made it into the race, so was entered into the G2 Pat Day Mile instead by his genius trainer, "The Coach") happened so quickly it didn't really sink in that he was General Jim's successor until after he'd won.

But going back to the Fall of 2022, after Dane's place at Keeneland against General Jim, trainer Graham Motion knew he had a horse, and "Dane" was immediately sent to Del Mar to compete against the extremely talented Speed Boat Beach in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille stakes. Sadly, Dane colicked prior to entries being taken, and was sent to the vet hospital for follow up care as the colic worsened. Though he was given the absolutely best veterinarian care, he continued to decline until his death in early January 2023.

I don't know if he could have won that race against Speed Boat Beach, but I would have loved to see him get that opportunity. Speed Boat Beach went on to win the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes and was recently named the Florida Horse of the Year. 

Considering everything that has unfolded in the last year for us, especially with Seize The Grey, I don't cry when I hear the names General Jim or Speed Boat Beach anymore. I smile wistfully. I do believe everything happens for a reason. The Lord taketh away, but he also giveth back, often more abundantly. Though I wish "Dane" could have had his chance at a bright future, I believe that it wasn't meant to be and I'll never know the reason why. Sometimes we aren't meant to. 

Rest in Peace Always, our beautiful "Dane."

Disdainful(IRE) aka "Dane"
Kessaar(IRE) x Shallow Lake by Bernardini 

Disdainful's Old Rival Scores Big on Derby Day

General Jim just won the Pat Day Mile on Derby Day!!! 

It was one of those "yell and scream for him to win, then burst into tears when he did it" moment. 

General Jim and Disdainful ran 1/2 in a race at Keeneland last Fall, a week before the Breeders Cup, and that's when we knew we really had a horse. If Dain hadn't gotten sick, who knows where he would have been today, but there was probably a good chance he would have been running at the level of his old rival, General Jim, so it was a very bittersweet moment for us. 

Hats off to jockey Luis Saez (who also rode General Jim in the race against Disdainful) and all the connections of this very tough horse, General Jim. He had a very troubled trip and prevailed with tremendous heart. (Photo is of Disdainful entering the starting gate in his race against General Jim that October day at Keeneland.)

Remembering Disdainful(IRE)

As we may have mentioned, our whirlwind trip to Ocala, Florida to see our six 2YOs was motivated by the fact we lost Disdainful without ever having the chance to meet him in person. It was truly heartbreaking, and we didn't want to miss another opportunity. Having six of our seven 2YOs all in one place at one time is something we'll never have the chance to take advantage of again, so in spite of a few misgivings, off we went to Ocala last weekend.

Seeing our young prospects got me thinking about Disdainful again, and how he might even have been on the Derby trail about now. That made me go track down the footage of him running in Keeneland a week before the Breeders Cup -- his only start on US soil. This race defined his talent and ability, and though he came in 2nd, it was after a troubled start, a tough trip and at the close, he fought hard for even stride of that placing, losing to a very nice Into Mischief son named General Jim. He defeated some very talented horses that day. 

Disdainful's next start was to have been a Grade 3 stakes race at Del Mar, where he was flown soon after his appearance at Keeneland. But it was not meant to be. He cast in his stall just days before the race, and we lost him to Peritonitis a few weeks later. :'(

We're posting this coverage here so we have it captured as part of his record on this site, because we know we'll want to view it again as long as it's available to watch. 

Here's the race -- The Elm Tree Allowance for 2YOs. This was live coverage of the entire day of racing, but it's set to begin during the paddock time before his race. If you want to skip that and advance to his race, you can do that by hovering your cursor over the footage, then moving the bar the appears at the bottom of the video (move it just a small amount because this is a lengthy video of the entire day of racing). If you want to back it up a bit to see an appearance by the Headless Horseman (being this was almost Halloween) just before his race coverage, you should be able to do that, too.  

Disdainful was the #3 horse in this race, ridden by John Velazquez. 

Disdainful, you were a true talent, and we are so saddened that you never had a chance to show the world how great you were. Rest in Peace. 

Disdainful(IRE) - Final Update

 We are very heartbroken to report that Disdainful contracted Peritonitis which is an infection of the abdominal cavity, an affliction that is often fatal. In spite of the best efforts of the equine hospital staff to save him, he didn't respond to treatment as hoped and was humanely euthanized on January 6, 2023. 

Disdainful was an extremely promising talent with an excellent attitude, and we believe he was destined for greatness, but it wasn't meant to be. His loss was unrelated to training or racing.

Rest in Peace, Disdainful. 

April 30, 2020 - January 6, 2023

Disdainful loading into the gate at Keeneland for his first
 start in the US, the ElmTtree Allowance on October 29, 2022,
the week before the 2022 Breeders Cup was held at that location.
He ran an impressive 2nd.

Disdainful Update

Disdainful(IRE), who is currently on lay-up for a bruised pelvis from casting in his stall, had a bout with colic over Christmas weekend that required surgery. He seems to be doing fine now and will continue to be monitored. 

Thankfully, this setback is not expected to lengthen his lay-up time, and he should be back in training this spring for his 3YO year.

Update: Disdainful has taken a turn for the worse with the development of Peritonitis. We'll update you further when we hear more on his condition and the outcome.

Get well soon, Disdainful!

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to...

It's a brand new year, and that means all Thoroughbreds officially turn one year older. 

Here's a roster of all of our runners and runners-to-be, all of which are now at least two years old. 

This includes a few new ones you'll be introduced to shortly. 

Our "Magnificent Seven" has now become the "Terrific Twelve!"

It's going to be an exciting 2023!

4YO

Magical Ways

3YO

Coexist

Disdainful(IRE)

Mo Temptation

Pioneer Prince

2YO

Simply Enchanting (Enchante '21)

Lady Blitz

One Last Night '21

Sarrocchi '21

Secret Crush

Song of the Lark '21

Seize The Grey (Smart Shopping '21)

Disdainful Update

After Disdainful cast in his stall prior to the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar last week, he has been gone over with a fine tooth comb to assess any potential injuries or setbacks. 

The results? Disdainful has a bruised pelvis.

This is about as best case scenario as we could get, and not a major setback, but he will need some time off to rest, recuperate, and thoroughly heal before returning to the track. 

Disdainful has been sent to a farm in Southern California where he is expected to get up to 60 days of rest before he is re-evaluated prior to returning to training just to ensure he has had all the time he needs to properly heel.

As always, the welfare of the horse is always our first priority and we expect this time off may end up being a blessing in disguise as it will allow Disdainful to grow and mature and hopefully return as an even better 3YO this coming spring.

We'll keep you posted as we get further reports. 

Earlier photo of Disdainful(IRE) taken in Ireland.

Disdainful OUT of the G3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes

Well, it's definitely been a run of bad luck lately, but we were sent an alert that Disdainful cast in his stall yesterday, resulting in what is believed to be only superficial injuries. But a decision was to made to err on the side of caution and keep Disdainful out of the G3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar so he can be fully accessed and also to allow him a bit of time to heal his bumps and bruises. 

As always, the welfare of the horse comes first and we are in 100% agreement with this decision. 

Hopefully there will be another good spot for him in the near future. It's disappointing, but we're extremely grateful the injuries appears to be minor and should be fixed with a little TLC and rest.

Disdainful on Track for the G3 Stakes, But...

Disdainful(IRE) is now at Del Mar and we received a report he worked very nicely on Del Mar's dirt oval for Graham Motion in preparation for the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes on December 4th. 

But...we're now in Wait-to-See Mode as the race could possibly over-prescribe and Disdainful may not get a slot. We won't know for sure until Thursday at the earliest. Meanwhile, we'll keep our fingers crossed and post any news as soon as we can.

If Disdainful does make it into the field, he'll have a change of jockey with Joel Rosario in the irons, due to John Velazquez having to return to New York for other commitments. 

We'll keep you posted as we know more. 

Disdainful Works at Del Mar

Prior to his upcoming start in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday, December 4th, Disdainful has been shipped out to the West Coast where he turned in what was probably an easy maintenance work this morning at Del Mar.

We look forward to his first test in a stakes race. 

 Disdainful (IRE) (2-Year-Old Colt)

Date: November 27, 2022
Track: DEL MAR
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 50:40 Handily
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 15/18

Disdainful Runs Another Bullet

Nice work for Disdainful this morning at Fair Hill. It was a bullet, but only two horses went the four furlong distance.

He's still on track for the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar on December 4th. 

Here's the notice:

Disdainful (IRE) (2-Year-Old Colt)

Date: November 20, 2022
Track: FAIR HILL
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 50:20 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Training
Rank: 1/2

Disdainful is Still a GO!

We were very happy to get a report that Disdainful came out of his race on Saturday in good shape in spite of the minor wreck just after the gates opened on Saturday in the Elmtree Allowance at Keeneland. 

If he continues to train well in the coming weeks, he'll have his graded stakes debut at Del Mar on December 4th in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes. 

 

Video from Keeneland Live Yesterday

We have the live feed of Disdainful's race yesterday via YouTube for anyone wanting to see the race.

Forward to about the 3 hour mark to see the saddling paddock and post parade for Race 5 (the link should take you there), or start it about 15 minutes after to see the race footage. And for a bit of Halloween flavor, if you want to see the Headless Horseman make an appearance on his black steed, back it up a little before that! 

Of note, Disdainful won the "Best Turned Out" title yesterday before the race, and the pre-race feed includes the presentation to his groom. Very nice! Not only did he run well, he looked great. 

We'll have some still shots from the race to post in the coming days.

Click here to view:  Keeneland Live Feed from 10/29/2022

Order of Finish and Notes -- Disdainful

We're extremely happy that Disdainful(IRE) performed so well in today's Allowance at Keeneland, where he rallied to finish a game 2nd after a not-so-perfect trip. 

Here's a look at his competition. General Jim (winner) is anticipated to move up to graded stakes company in his next start.

Order of finish today and notes about competitors. 

1st    #2 General Jim  Into Mischief x Inspired by Grace (Curlin) 

An $850,000 Keeneland Sept 2021 yearling purchase who ran a 1st and 3rd in 2 previous starts.

2nd    #3 Disdainful (IRE)    Kessaar x Shallow Lake (Bernardini)   2: 1-0-1

3rd    #6 Our Dream Rye'd   More Than Ready x On The Trail (Bernardini)

5 starts with a 1st and 3rd, including starts in a G2 (5th) and G3 (6th)

4th     #9 Oscar Award    Oscar Performance x Trade Agreement (Will Take Charge)

5th    #3 Otago    Speightstown x Mom's Deputy (War Chant)  4: 1-1(stakes)-1

6th    #12 Rarified Flair    Honor Code x Truth (Arch)   6: 1-1(stakes)-1

7th    #10 Mendel's Secret   Mendelssohn x Donnie's Secret (Tiger Ridge)  2: 1-0-0

8th    #5 In God's Time    Not This Time x Believe in Wonder (Aldebaraan)  2: 1-0-0

9th    #7 Blame The Good Times    Blame x Celebrategoodtime (Harlan's Holiday)  3: 1-0-0

10th    #11 Fastbyte    Oscar Performance x Gigahertz (Dynaformer)   4: 1-0-0

11th    #1  Steele Money   Brody's Cause x Sunlit Summer (Summer Bird)   3: 1-0-0

12th    #13  Housed    Ghostzapper x Lime Lady (Limehouse)   3: 1-0-1

Disdainful Runs 2nd in US Debut!

We think Disdainful ran GREAT today! 

John Velazquez piloted him expertly through traffic on the rail and powered him up in the stretch to take 2nd in this extremely talented field. We were super happy with his US debut in the 5th at Keeneland and based on the summary and recap from Aron, so was Eclipse.

We'll wait to see how he comes out of this race and continues to train over the next couple of weeks, but his next start could be very exciting! Stay tuned!

Here's a couple of screenshots from Keeneland today. Sorry the banners obscure part of the photo. 

Post Parade

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Disdainful at Keeneland Tomorrow

Good morning, all! We got the detailed pre-race analysis from Aron this morning, and Disdainful will be running against some absolute monsters tomorrow in the 5th at Keeneland, including a couple of proven stakes horses! Still, the mood seems to be quiet confidence, and we don't think he'd be entered in this race if there wasn't a lot of optimism about his chances, so we'll see how he performs against some extremely talented and top-bred horses. 

It's also a huge plus that John Velazquez is up--a hall-of-famer and one of the top jockeys in the country. John has won the Kentucky Derby three times, the Belmont at least twice, as well as at least 15 Breeders Cup races! We couldn't have asked for a better pilot on Disdainful's US debut. 

All systems are go provided it doesn't rain. If it rains, the race will come off the turf course and go onto the main dirt track, and Disdainful will be scratched. Rain is not in the forecast, however. 

As for us, we're just praying for a safe race for him, wherever he finishes, but if he runs well, we'll, of course, be absolutely ecstatic! 

We'll keep you posted.

Disdainful May Be First!

We have an Early Entry notice!

Disdainful(IRE)

Oct 29th (this Saturday)
Keeneland Allowance - 1-1/16 turf
R #5 

PP #3 16 in field

J. Velasquez up

It looks like a tough field but he won't be carrying high weight this time.

We're praying for safe going for his US debut.

Disdainful is "Full Speed Ahead"

 We got a glowing report on our recent import, Disdainful, this morning that contained phrasing like "positive impression," "push button" and indications he's "a pretty serious talent."

Wahoo!

We've updated our Upcoming notices above to a tentative US debut date at Keeneland, but it's not a done deal because, being a new arrival, he won't have preference if the race overfills. 

We'll keep you posted when we know more. 

Disdainful Works in Fastest Time

We are beyond excited to announce our partnership Irish import who just recently arrived in the US, Disdainful, ran a BULLET WORK at Fair Hill Training Center this morning. His time was 1:01 for 5f on the all weather surface.

Horse Workout Notification October 22, 2022 Disdainful (IRE) (2-Year-Old Colt) Your comments for this horse were: OURS - Eclipse partnership Date: October 22, 2022 Track: FAIR HILL Distance: Five Furlongs Time: 1.01:00 Breezing Track Condition: Fast Surface: All Weather Training Rank: 1/10