Added blinkers are 1 of 3 reasons to consider Disarm in Travers

With most of the public attention for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 26 likely to fall on the power trio of Forte, Mage and Arcangelo, one 3-year-old who has not been far off the top of the division might end up ignored by the wagering public. His name is Disarm.

Besides the projected value, there are three other reasons to consider Disarm in the Travers at Saratoga. His efforts against top 3-year-olds suggest the gap is not insurmountable. He also thrives in longer routes. For the third reason, he might improve with blinkers.

Forget about Disarm’s flat third-place finish behind First Mission and Arabian Lion in the Lexington Stakes (G3) in April. Trainer Steve Asmussen probably did not tune up Disarm to give his best effort in the Lexington. He mainly wanted Disarm to earn enough Derby points to secure his spot in the run for the roses.

After the disappointing finish in the Lexington, Disarm gave the Kentucky Derby a shot only a few weeks later and made a steady rally from 13th in the first quarter to close for fourth. Disarm lost by 4 1/4 lengths to Mage, which is not a terrible losing margin given the strength of the race and the difficulty of closing in a crowded field of 18 horses.  

Asmussen opted to skip the Preakness and Belmont with Disarm. Instead, Disarm competed next in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Ellis Park. Following a closer-than-usual stalking trip in third, Disarm earned a nice confidence builder by steadily moving past the Derby pacesetter Verifying in the stretch to pick up his first graded-stakes victory.

Last month, Disarm took on Forte in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), as well as Angel of Empire, Hit Show and the new face Saudi Crown. Even though Disarm did not hit the trifecta, he roughly kept pace with Forte, Saudi Crown and Angel of Empire in the stretch and lost by 2 1/4 lengths.

Considering Saudi Crown set a moderate pace on an uncontested lead, Disarm ran reasonably well late after trailing the field early on.  

On dirt, two lengths is not a big margin. Plus, Disarm earned a career-high 122 TimeformUS Speed Figure for his decent Jim Dandy run.

Some observers believe Disarm wants to cut back to one mile. Why? Visually, Disarm runs like a steady, closing grinder without any flashy acceleration in the stretch. He keeps coming though, or he sticks around as he did in the Jim Dandy against top 3-year-olds. Disarm’s fade in the Lexington was the result of coming into it unprepared.

This year, all of Disarm’s best finishes came at longer distances.

Besides his fourth in the Kentucky Derby and his lone graded-stakes win in the Matt Winn, Disarm closed against a crawling pace to run second in the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby (G2) in March. Kingsbarns had posted sluggish fractions of 24.71, 49.60 and 1:14.69, which made it impossible for any other horse besides him to win.

Disarm's only clunkers this year were in races below nine furlongs. Besides the flat third in the Lexington, Disarm also finished second by four lengths to Two Eagles River in a one-mile Oaklawn optional claiming race in February. Disarm started as the even-money favorite in that race against lesser, which makes the runner-up finish disappointing.

In addition to his efforts against top company and his strong finishes in longer routes, Daily Racing Form's David Grening reported that Asmussen plans to add blinkers for Disarm’s Travers run. Blinkers generally help horses focus, and in most cases they add speed as well. 

Disarm will never set the pace. But with blinkers added, he could end up stalking the pace instead of falling behind. When Disarm made use of stalking tactics in the Matt Winn, he finally won a race.

Besides value, those are the three reasons to consider Disarm. Value should play a factor in betting this race too, though. Disarm might not enter the Travers as the horse with the best chance to win. Given his value and the other reasons above, this is a playable colt who can win.