Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Disruptor lives up to his name

Is Disruptor ready to disrupt the Road to the Kentucky Derby? It’s possible after the chestnut colt delivered a fast maiden victory at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.

The beginning of March might seem like a late date for a horse to break his maiden and still join the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail. But Disruptor may be an above-average talent. A son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner out of the Speightstown mare Margate Gardens, Disruptor sold for $1.15 million as a yearling, and his performances to date suggest he has a bright future.

Disruptor debuted on Jan. 25 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream. Favored at 1-2, he carved out fractions of :22.44 and :45.69 on the front end before tiring in the final furlong to finish third by two lengths.

Disruptor improved dramatically in his second start over the same conditions. This time, he tracked splits of :22.30 and :44.58 under five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before seizing command to draw off and dominate by 9 1/4 lengths in the fast time of 1:22.94. For comparison, six-year-old Caramel Chip—coming off a runner-up finish in the Pelican S.—won a seven-furlong $62,500 allowance optional claimer on the same card in 1:22.86.

Any way you slice it, this was a serious performance from Disruptor, and it sounds like a Road to the Kentucky Derby foray is next on the agenda. He’s nominated to the Triple Crown, and co-owner Repole Stable indicated on the social media platform X that Disruptor will make his next start in the March 29 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream. A top-two finish in the 1 1/8-mile race will almost assuredly qualify Disruptor to compete in the Kentucky Derby.

Disruptor wasn’t the only Pletcher-trained Triple Crown nominee to break his maiden last Saturday. At Tampa Bay Downs, Valentinian debuted victorious in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight, delivering a fast-finishing performance suggesting he has the talent of a serious racehorse.

Valentinian sold for $1.5 million as a yearling, and it’s easy to understand why. He’s a son of six-time leading North American sire Into Mischief out of Rachel’s Valentina, winner of the Spinaway (G1) and in turn a daughter of champion Bernardini out of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.

Valentinian started as the 2-1 favorite and ran to expectations. He settled 1 1/2 to two lengths behind slow splits of :24.44 and :49.41, advanced to challenge through six furlongs in 1:14.43, and then accelerated his final five-sixteenths of a mile in about :23.70 (an excellent fraction on dirt) to prevail by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:44.16.

The final time wasn’t especially fast, but Valentinian’s accelerating finish indicates he had more to offer. Perhaps we’ll see him join the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the next four or five weeks. But even if Pletcher opts for a more conservative racing schedule, there’s a chance we’ll see Valentinian turn up later in the Triple Crown season—perhaps in the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.

We’ll also give a shout-out to Perfect Force, a son of Gun Runner who graduated when making his eighth start on Sunday at Oaklawn Park. Hailing from the barn of four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Perfect Force delivered a sharp performance in a six-furlong maiden special weight, rallying from sixth place behind fractions of :22.30 and :45.88 to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

Perfect Force blazed his final furlong in about :12 flat to reach the finish line in 1:10.22. Although two previous attempts at racing two turns ended with distant defeats, Perfect Force’s performance on Sunday was such a strong step in the right direction that another try running long may be warranted. He isn’t nominated to the Triple Crown, but Perfect Force still has upside and is worth following as winter turns to spring.

Top maiden winner of the week: Disruptor

Honorable mention: Valentinian