Highly regarded Disarm faces salty rivals in comeback race
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Disarm will make his much anticipated 3-year-old debut Sunday against a more seasoned Two Eagles River and $600,000 auction purchase Arman in an engaging eighth race at Oaklawn Park.
The Triple Crown nominees go in a $103,000 entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds. The one-mile race ends at the sixteenth pole.
Disarm will launch his season from post 4 in the field of seven. He’s making his first start since winning a maiden special weight over seven furlongs last August at Saratoga. For his return, Disarm has been working at Fair Grounds.
“We’re obviously very anxious to run an extremely talented 3-year-old,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains the homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds.
Disarm’s 6 1/4-length maiden win came in his second start. Those left in his wake were eventual Holy Bull winner Rocket Can and sharp Turfway runner Wadsworth. Disarm earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86, which is the best last-race number in the field Sunday.
“I like how fast he is,” Asmussen said. “He’s a nice horse. He definitely is going to need the race Sunday. He’s a very big-bodied horse, carries a lot of weight. I’m anxious to get him running.”
Disarm made his career debut last June in a maiden sprint at Churchill Down, finishing third behind winner Mo Strike, who one start later captured the Sanford at Saratoga. Disarm will be moving to two turns Sunday.
“It’s who he’s going to be going forward,” said Asmussen.
Disarm is by Gun Runner, who at 3 won the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby, and Clark. Disarm’s dam, Easy Tap, was a winner at two turns and has produced a two-turn stakes winner in Tap Daddy.
Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount on Disarm, who will be first Lasix.
Two Eagles River, who breaks from the rail under Nik Juarez, has recency on Disarm. He last raced Jan. 14, finishing third behind Daily Racing Form DerbyWatch members Verifying and Gun Pilot in a first-level allowance at Oaklawn.
“He ran into two really good horses,” said trainer Chris Hartman.
The start was the first at two turns for Two Eagles River, who is by Preakness winner Cloud Computing.
“We’re hoping that he’s going to turn into a useful route 3-year-old,” Hartman said. “We’re trying to see if he can handle the two-turn business. I think he will. I don’t think he’s going to have a problem, but he’s got to prove that out there.”
Since the allowance, Gun Pilot has come back to win an allowance at Oaklawn.
Two Eagles River has kept good company throughout his career. In November, he was second by a neck in an allowance won by Victory Formation, who would go on to capture the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn and who was to have run back Saturday in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds. The third-place finisher from the same allowance was Lugan Knight, who went on to win the Jerome at Aqueduct.
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“He’s run into some wolves,” said Hartman.
So has Arman. The fourth highest-priced 2-year-old at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction in March, he’s returning to the overnight ranks after sprint stakes starts in Southern California in which he hooked graded winners Havnameltdown and Speed Boat Beach.
Arman, who won his debut in a maiden sprint last June at Churchill Downs, is owned by Kaleem Shah and will be making his first start for trainer Peter Miller.
“There were very high hopes for him after his first race,” Miller said.
Arman last raced in October.
“They gave him a break at the farm and sent him to me,” Miller said. “He’s training very forwardly, very nicely. I expect him to run well. I don’t think he’s 100 percent cranked up. I was hoping to sprint him [first time back]. The race didn’t go.”
Martin Garcia has the mount from post 2.
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