Watch: Despite Disappointing in Lexington Stakes, Disarm Remains Hopeful for Kentucky Derby

The ‘Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports’ is here, as the Kentucky Derby is all set to be held on the 6th of May. But the excitement among horse-racing fans has already reached its pinnacle as they watched 3-year-old horses compete in the Lexington Stakes. First Mission, has emerged as the winner in the Lexington Stakes while Arabian Lion was second in the race. Disarm made it to the third. 

The competition has been tough as only one horse will pave its way to the Kentucky Derby field with its performance at Lexington Stakes. The horse aiming to enter Kentucky Derby needs to secure 45 points, and Disarm was efficient enough to make enough points to enter the Run for the Roses.

Disarm’s win at the Lexington Stakes was crucial for entering Kentucky Derby

Usually, 40 points are more than enough for securing a place in the Kentucky Derby race. But 2023, was a bit different as the cutoff was 45 points. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Disarm managed to secure 40 points by finishing second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby last month. So, the aim was to achieve 5 more points at the Lexington race.

The Lexington Stakes had offered top-five finishers of the horse race with 40 qualifying points on a scale of 20-8-6-4-2. Disarm came third securing 6 points in the race and thus qualifying for the Derby with 46 points in total. The thoroughbred will be in a tie for 17th rank on the Derby qualifying leaderboard with a total of 20 horses taking part in the race.

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The owner of Disarm, David Fisker, exclaims, “Now, they have it.” Speaking about Disarm to kentucky.com, David says, “He’s a big strong horse. He’s been sound. He can take a lot of training.” The owner is hopeful that Disarm will perform his best in the upcoming race. “I’m positive we haven’t seen his best race yet,” he opines. 

There is still hope for Horses below the cutoff to participate in the race

The winner of Lexington Stakes, First Mission, will not race in the Derby which leaves the 1999 winner, Charismatic, as the champion of both the Kentucky Derby and Lexington Stakes. The horses which have secured below the cut-off of 45 points can still hope for a chance to compete at the race. Rich Strike, the winner of the 2022 Derby, was just an ‘also-eligible’ for the race with a rank of 24th on the Derby leaderboard.  

Generally, every year, some of the horses from the top 20 list back off from the Derby due to injuries or connections decisions. This gives an opportunity for the waitlisting horses to enter the race. So, gearing up for the event is a wise choice for such horses. Fans are waiting anxiously to witness the winner of the 2023 Derby. Are you excited about the race? Let us know in the comments below!

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