Matt Winn lures four runners from Kentucky Derby

The Triple Crown concludes with the Belmont Stakes. A lucrative summer begins for sophomores with the Grade 3, $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes on Sunday at Ellis Park.

Four colts emerging from the Kentucky Derby, the best finisher among them fourth-place Disarm, lead the field of seven. The Matt Winn will be run at the slightly extended distance of nine furlongs due to the configuration of the Ellis racing surface. The race was originally scheduled to be 1 1/16 miles. The remainder of the Churchill Downs meet has been shifted to Ellis due to safety concerns.

Winn entrants Raise Cain (eighth), King Russell (15th), and Verifying (16th) also raced in the Derby.

Disarm, ninth at the quarter pole of the Kentucky Derby, ran on to be fourth despite a late bump. He was beaten a total of 4 1/2 lengths by the victorious Mage, who went on to finish third in the Preakness.

Disarm had a busy schedule to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. He finished second in the Louisiana Derby on March 25 and third in the Lexington on April 14, prompting his connections to freshen him rather than pressing on through the Triple Crown series.

“He’s faced a lot of adversity this year,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “We’re very proud of how he handled himself through it all.”

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Verifying was a hard-fought second to Belmont Stakes-bound Tapit Trice in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at nine furlongs, prompting the pace in second and narrowly leading in the stretch before being beaten a head. In the Kentucky Derby four weeks later, he led by a pressured head on the inside through sharp opening splits of 22.35 seconds for the quarter, 45.73 for the half, and 1:10.11 for six furlongs before wilting and finishing 16th of 18.

“I’m just hoping we don’t go 45 and change early, I don’t think we will,” trainer Brad Cox said of Sunday’s race. “You know, that’s the Derby, it’s a race like no other, and things happen there that don’t ever happen again in a horse’s career. I don’t think we’ll see him going that quick around two turns anytime soon. But overall, he’s really done well since the Derby.”

Raise Cain won the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, then was fifth in the Blue Grass and eighth in the Derby, outrunning his odds as one of the four longest shots on the board. He had been under consideration for the Belmont Stakes before Keeneland-based trainer Ben Colebrook elected to keep him closer to home.

Rounding out the quartet, graded stakes-placed King Russell was 15th in the Kentucky Derby for Ron Moquett after being the last horse to draw in off the also-eligible list.

Completing the field are stakes-placed Denington, allowance-level winner Bo Cruz, and Go Soldier Go, a minor stakes winner at Meydan.

◗ The Matt Winn undercard includes the $175,000 Leslie’s Lady Stakes, for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs. B G Warrior is the lone stakes winner in the field of 10, but that victory came on the Tapeta at Turfway Park.

Topsy looks to be on the improve and most recently was second to unbeaten Maple Leaf Mel in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness last month at Pimlico.

Condensation was second to Wet Paint in the Grade 3 Honeybee in March at Oaklawn. The field also includes stakes-placed Padma and Unifying.

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