Derby Hopeful Disarm Blazes Five Furlongs at Churchill

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Derby Hopeful Disarm Blazes Five Furlongs at Churchill
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Photo: Coady Photography
Disarm (outside) breezes in company April 24 at Churchill Downs

Nine days after finishing third in Keeneland's Lexington Stakes (G3), Winchell Thoroughbreds' Disarm  returned to the work tab April 24 to post a bullet five-furlong breeze at Churchill Downs.

The homebred 3-year-old son of Gun Runner   worked in 1:00 under jockey Joel Rosario, who is tabbed to ride the colt in the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1). Beginning one length behind stablemate, Gigante , he finished two lengths clear of his company at the wire, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 1/5, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols. The work saw initial fractions of 13 1/5, :25 2/5, :36 3/5, and :48 4/5.

Gigante is a stakes-winning 3-year-old son of Not This Time  .

Trainer Steve Asmussen "loved" the work and how Disarm traveled on the Churchill surface. The colt showed no signs of fatigue from his quick turnaround.

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"There's a lot to him. He's a very durable horse and I think the best is yet to come from him," Asmussen said. "I think there's more in the tank. I like how he accelerated to the wire. He went over the racetrack very nice."

Disarm, runner-up in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots behind Kingsbarns , earned his way into the Derby picture with his third-place finish in the Lexington. That effort put him in the field at 16 on the Derby leaderboard with 46 points.

"Hopefully he's getting to his best level at exactly the right time," Asmussen said.

Asmussen, Rosario, and Winchell Thoroughbreds' were a narrow second in last year's Kentucky Derby with eventual 2022 Eclipse champion 3-year-old male Epicenter  .