2023 Kentucky Derby Clocker Report: Disarm drills serious five furlongs

Churchill Downs
Monday, April 24
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 35
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An impressive work just nine days removed from his last start by Disarm and a very strong open gallop with blinkers on by Sun Thunder highlighted the special Kentucky Derby-Oaks training session at a chilly Churchill Downs on Monday.

The temperature was in the high 30s when the track opened for business at 5:15 a.m. and had actually dipped to just a couple of degrees above the freezing mark by the time a relatively large number of Derby and Oaks horses came out to train a little more than two hours later.

Disarm was the lone worker during the session, and he did not disappoint while surprising many with such a serious drill just nine days after earning just enough points to qualify for this year’s Kentucky Derby lineup with a third-place finish in the Lexington Stakes on April 15 at Keeneland.

With jockey Joel Rosario aboard, Disarm, who has looked sharp during routine gallops over the previous several mornings, broke off a length behind workmate Gigante at the five-furlong pole. Rosario rated Disarm just behind his target while allowing his horse to take some dirt around the turn and then picked up the pace as the duo approached the quarter pole. Disarm overtook and readily drew away from Gigante through the final sixteenth when roused a bit to finish, completing five furlongs in 59.90 seconds, his closing quarter in 23.25, a final half in a lively 46.61.

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Disarm continued strongly into and around the turn, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.22 before easing up seven-eighths in 1:26.69 over the fast but not lightning quick surface.

“He’s a very durable horse, and I think the best is yet to come from him,” said Asmussen shortly before flying out to attend the 2-year-old sales in Ocala, Fla. “He’s a horse we missed a little time with over the winter and we’re behind schedule. We were looking for a little sense of direction in his work this morning. I think he’s not given us everything to this point and there’s more in the tank. I like how he accelerated to the wire and got over the racetrack nicely.”

Sun Thunder has never raced in blinkers, but he was full of run with the equipment on this morning. He galloped strongly at well better than a two-minute clip out near the middle of the track coming down the stretch then into and around the clubhouse turn before finally pulling up near the five-eighths pole. Sun Thunder, fourth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths by Tapit Trice, in the Blue Grass, is expected to have his final work, with blinkers on, over the weekend.

It was another long morning for the Japanese pair of Continuar and Derma Sotogake, particularly the latter who entered the track at 6:50 a.m. and did not leave until an hour and 25 minutes later, a busy morning that included a two-mile gallop over the main track during the Derby-Oaks session. The UAE Derby winner was throwing his head repeatedly and swapping leads some the first time around and still looked just a bit awkward coming by the wire during his second pass in front of the grandstand.

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Trainer Todd Pletcher sent all four of his Derby hopefuls out to train at 7:30, including Major Dude, who is still on the outside looking in and more likely to compete in the American Turf over the grass a week from Saturday. The quartet included Tapit Trice, who has not had a morning off since his impressive work here last Friday, and Forte who took Sunday off but returned looking in his usual good form Monday morning.

Wild On Ice made another excellent appearance Monday. The Derby outsider picked up the pace a bit while galloping two miles after reportedly first jogging one mile in the chute.

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