Desormeaux Eyes Another Big Score with Danette

By J.M. Severni 
It’s been a banner year for trainer Keith Desormeaux. The older brother of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux tallied his first Breeders’ Cup victory when Texas Red (Afleet Alex) charged home to take the GI Juvenile, and Desormeaux is looking to add one more major 2014 success with Danette (Curlin) in Saturday’s GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Race Course. 

The $45,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase began her career over the Arlington synthetic in June, finishing seventh. Fifth against $80,000 taggers at Del Mar in July, Danette finished third in a special weight stretching out to a mile there Aug. 13 and was second by a head to fellow Starlet starter Maybellene (Lookin At Lucky) Aug. 31. The Don’t Tell My Wife Stable’s colorbearer tested deeper waters while routing and trying dirt in the GI Chandelier S. and outran her 26-1 odds to rally well for third. 

Desormeaux said the promise Danette showed in her last two starts at Del Mar gave him the confidence to try stepping her up in the Chandelier. 

“She ran an exceptional race in her last start at Del Mar,” he explained. “We know that, being by Curlin, she was going to improve once she got on the natural surface. She’s a good-sized filly, so with maturity and time I always knew she would get better. Maybellene beat us by a head and she was in the Chandelier, so if she is legit in that race, why can’t we be? This time of year, there’s not a whole lot of 2-year-old–fillies in particular–that are fit and experienced at two turns and there are limited opportunities. That’s why you can take a shot at a higher race with a maiden. She had experience and fitness and, obviously, showed quality at Del Mar. That’s why we went ahead and gave her a chance at Grade I company and it worked out because we’re Grade I stakes placed.” 

Danette took on tough company again in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies where she caboosed the field early and zipped up the rail, but was blocked in the stretch, eventually finishing fifth, just 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner and Starlet favorite Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway). 

Desormeaux reported that Danette exited her Breeders’ Cup race well and looks to be in top form coming into the weekend’s affair. 

“She was no worse for wear, to tell you the truth,” the conditioner said of his charge’s condition after the Juvenile Filles. “I thought she had a little bit of a rough trip, but you couldn’t tell by the way she bounced back from the race.” 

Both of the conditioner’s representatives trailed early in their respective Breeders’ Cup races over the speedy Santa Anita track, but the trainer doesn’t think the bias was necessarily to blame for Danette’s finish. 

“There’s no doubt that the Santa Anita surface is a speed-favoring surface, but the pace was legit,” Desormeaux said. “I think it was more about her having to use energy to keep her position at the half-mile pole and then not being able to get through in the stretch–she was blocked all the way through the stretch. If she could have gotten though, the speed bias wouldn’t have looked as prevalent. I say that with confidence because, obviously, Texas Red wasn’t affected by the speed bias.” 

Although Texas Red’s Breeders’ Cup victory is surely the highlight of Desormeaux’s training career up to this point, the conditioner has had additional success in recent years developing young talent. Ive Struck a Nerve (Yankee Gentleman) gave Desormeaux his first graded stakes win when he upset the 2013 GII Risen Star S. at odds of 135-1. 

“We’ve been knocking on the door, this isn’t an overnight success type of thing,” the conditioner offered. “The routine that we’ve hashed out through experience over the years is obviously working. I have enthusiastic and capable investors and that’s all it took. The process was always there, I haven’t had these deep-pocketed owners and I had limited opportunities in the past as far as the sales are concerned. Now I have capable and enthusiastic owners and that, in itself, has fueled the recent success.” 

The conditioner has a string of 37 horses which are split between the Fair Grounds and Santa Anita. May of Desormeaux’s trainees are horses he picked out as yearlings at Keeneland September. Danette was a $45,000 Keeneland September purchase and Texas Red was bought out of that sale for $17,000. Desormeaux explained that, when selecting horses at yearling sales, he values conformation above all else. 

“Undoubtedly, with the speed of American racing now and the way the tracks are kept up, soundness is of ultimate importance and you cannot achieve or maintain soundness without proper conformation,” Desormeaux explained. “So, conformation is number one. We look for those intangible qualities like intelligence and confidence that can be seen in certain ways. And, of course, we look at pedigree. There may be those few who show some success without the ultimate pedigree, because, of course, not everyone can afford that ultimate pedigree, but you do have to have some depth of pedigree to have success.” 

If this past year is any indication, Desormeaux’s process of selecting, training and spotting young horses seems to be on the money. Although the trainer will have to wait until after the Starlet to determine any long-term goals for Danette, it’s obvious where Desormeaux would like Texas Red to be the first Saturday in May. 

“We can dream, can’t we?” Desormeaux said. “We think we’re legit and the numbers say we are. The pedigree says we’re made for it, so we’ll set the [GI Kentucky] Derby as a goal and go from there.” 

As for right now, Texas Red is taking a break from the track. “He exited the [Breeders’ Cup] in great shape,” he continued. “He looks good and we decided that after a long season of traveling and tough races to give him a much earned break.”