Disco Partner, Kharafa face off in Elusive Quality

by NYRA Press Office

Patricia Generazio's homebred Disco Partner will make his 5-year-old debut for trainer Christophe Clement, leading a competitive edition of the $100,000 Elusive Quality for 4-year-olds and up at seven furlongs on the Widener turf course on Saturday, the first turf stakes during the 2017 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The New York-bred son of Disco Rico posted a 5-2-1-0 record in 2016, including a neck victory over Green Mask in the Troy last August at Saratoga Race Course, where he earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure, and a close second-place finish to Pure Sensation in the Grade 3 Jaipur at Belmont in June.

The Elusive Quality will be the first start for Disco Partner, installed as the mild 2-1 favorite, since transferring to the Clement barn following his fourth-place finish in the Belmont Turf Sprint on October 8.

"I know the horse well; I've raced against him quite a few times," said Clement. "He finished second last year to Pure Sensation, who I trained in the Jaipur, and he ran well. I've got a question mark on the seven-eighths as well as a question mark on the softer turf. I don't know if it is ideal for him. He might want to go shorter and I think he would do well on firmer turf, but the horse has been training well. It's time to go."

Disco Partner will break from post 5 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

Disco Partner will take on the venerable 8-year-old millionaire Kharafa, also making his first start of the year.

In 2016, the Kitalpha gelding kicked off his season with a fifth-place finish in the Elusive Quality, and went on to post back-to-back seconds last summer, finishing a neck behind Blacktype in the Grade 3 Oceanport at Monmouth Park and a nose short of King Kreesa in the West Point at Saratoga, both at 1 1/16 miles. He followed up with a driving win in the 1 1/8-mile Ashley T. Cole at Belmont in September before closing out his season with a fifth-place finish in the Artie Schiller at Aqueduct Racetrack in November.

Kharafa, trained by Tim Hills, boasts a 8-6-2 record from 20 starts on the Belmont turf course, where he's made more than half of 39 career starts.

"He had a good winter," Hills said. "He goes to Ocala to Craig Wheeler's farm. He's turned out and then gets about 30 days of galloping and then I bring him in and finish him off. He's always had big flat feet so he had a foot bruise two months ago that cost him a couple of weeks of hard training, but since then, his feet are good and trained really well. It's been smooth sailing ever since.

"He breezed Saturday, shipped Sunday, got in Monday and went to the track Tuesday," he added. "He's settled right in. That's his turf course at Belmont. He's got such a good record on it. He always shows up."

Kharafa, 6-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Paco Lopez from the inside post.

Meanwhile, the Irish-bred Great Wide Open will look to transfer his European form to the Belmont grass for trainer and co-owner Conor Murphy.

By the Australian sire Starspangledbanner, Great Wide Open had amassed a 22-4-2-4 record in his native Ireland when he was purchased by his current connections at Tattersalls last fall. He made his first stateside start in Fair Ground's Bonapaw at 5 ½ furlongs in December.

"We kind of wanted to know what direction we needed to take at the start of this year, so before turning him out for a break, we gave him a run over 5 ½," said Murphy. "Our gut feeling was that 5 ½ was going to be too short for him over here but we wanted to make sure. He's a great big, striding horse and he's in good form at the moment.

"I think there's no doubt that he needs to improve an awful lot from his Irish form but seven furlongs on a big, galloping track like Belmont is ideal," he added. "It's a tough race, but he's been working so well we're letting him take his chance and we'll find out how he fits with this group."

At 20-1 on the morning line, Great Wide Open will be ridden by Julie Burke from post 7.

Also entered for the Elusive Quality are Siding Spring, fourth in the Grade 3 Appleton for Mark Casee last time out; 2016 Frank Whitely winner Never Gone South for the Cathal Lynch barn; Kevin Attard-trained Calgary Cat, making his first start since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint; and Sir Shackleton runner-up Hammers Vision for trainer Brian Lynch. Greenpointcrusader and Alex the Terror are entered for the main track only.

In Sunday's $150,000 License Fee, for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going six furlongs on the turf, Miss Ella will make her first start of the year headlining a field of seven.

A multiple graded stakes-winner bred and owned by Jack Swain III, and trained by Graham Motion, the 5-year-old daughter of Exchange Rate ended her 2016 campaign with a neck victory in the Grade 3 Franklin County on October 14. 

With two starts over the Belmont turf course, including a third-place finish last year in the Intercontinental, Miss Ella will depart from the rail with Joel Rosario aboard.

Entering for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and owner Stuart S. Janney III is Fair Point. Also set to make her first start of the year, the daughter of Smart Strike last out won the Grade 3 Senator Ken Maddy on November 5 at Santa Anita.

Trying six furlongs for the first time, while holding a win and second-place finish from two starts at Belmont, the 5-year-old mare will leave from post 4 with Jose Ortiz aboard.

Stepping up in class to make her stakes debut is Portmagee for Waterville Lake Stable and Clement. Coming off an optional-claiming victory on March 19 at Gulfstream, the son of Hard Span will make his only his fifth career start departing from post 3 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons.

Rounding out the field is Hip Hop N Jazz; Summer Reading; Quality Rocks; and main-track-only entrant Malibu Princess.