When the principals of Spendthrift Farm sent Kingsbarns to Todd Pletcher last October, they weren’t necessarily thinking he was going to have time to develop into a Kentucky Derby horse. Kingsbarns, a son of Uncle Mo, was purchased for $800,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream auction after breezing a quarter in 20.60 seconds, and needed some time to get over some seemingly minor issues. However, three wins from three starts in 10 weeks - capped by a dominant 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds - seems to have accelerated plans. Kingsbarns is now pointing to the Kentucky Derby. “When they don’t stub their toe at all and pass every test … he’s taking us there rather than us taking him there,” Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift, said Sunday morning. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Kingsbarns, named for a golf course in Scotland, has birdied every hole on his way to Valhalla, er, Churchill. He won a one-mile maiden race on Jan. 14 at Gulfstream Park before dominating a first-level allowance going a mile and 70 yards at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12.  On Saturday, he shipped to a third track, stretched out to 1 3/16 miles and flashed a new dimension by going to the lead under Flavien Prat and taking advantage of a relatively pressure-free trip in beating 11 rivals in the Louisiana Derby. The race earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. Going back to his first race, Toffey pointed out that Kingsbarns took some dirt sitting behind horses, incurred some contact from another horse and still drew clear to win. Four weeks later, Kingsbarns romped at a new track. “He shipped over to Tampa for his next start, ran over a different surface and wasn’t fazed by that,” Toffey said. “A young horse in his second start - it’s not a long ship, but it’s still a ship, new surroundings, new surface and he handled that extremely well.” Toffey said the Louisiana Derby was chosen for Kingsbarns because it was six weeks from his allowance win and six weeks to the Derby, should he qualify. “If this horse showed us in the Louisiana Derby he was ready for that next step then we’d have the confidence to try it, and so he obviously did that,” Toffey said. “He handled the ship beautifully, wasn’t fazed by any of it. Showed another dimension. It wasn’t a fast pace and he was able to take advantage of that, He had not gone to the lead in his prior starts. “Moving forward, he’s shown that he is multidimensional, showed that stamina is not a problem,” Toffey added. Kingsbarns was scheduled to ship back to Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs, where the Hall of Fame trainer has at least two other Kentucky Derby prospects in Forte, the 2-year-old champion who is running in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, and Tapit Trice, the Tampa Bay Derby winner, who is pointing to the Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 8. “Todd is used to having multiple good horses in his barn,” Toffey said. “I have every confidence Todd’s gonna train these horses and do the right thing by each horse, give each horse their best shot.” Spendthrift and Pletcher finished second in Saturday’s Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park with Major Dude. While he earned 40 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, Toffey indicated it is more likely that horse would be aimed at a turf race instead. Toffey said he spoke to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. who suggested that Major Dude didn’t give him the same kick on the synthetic as he has on turf and thus will likely be pointed to turf races in the future. Disarm, the Louisiana Derby runner-up, will be aimed at the Kentucky Derby, trainer Steve Asmussen said Sunday. Disarm, who had an inside trip under Joel Rosario, had to wait behind horses a little around the turn, but once clear made a decent run down the stretch to finish second by 2 3/4 lengths over Jace’s Road. “I thought it was a good experience for him, it was a step forward, a lot of positives,” Asmussen said. “He stays beautifully, he’s getting better at the right time and came out of it in good shape.” Asmussen said both Disarm and Shopper’s Revenge, who finished fourth, would ship to Churchill Downs on Tuesday. Asmussen said how Shopper’s Revenge trains and where he fits on the Derby points list could determine where he makes his next start. The disappointment of the Louisiana Derby was Instant Coffee, who finished sixth as the favorite. Cox said he was a bit perplexed by the fact the horse broke so well “and in the blink of an eye he went from being on even terms to having basically two horses beat,” he said. Instant Coffee, who hadn’t run since winning the Lecomte on Jan. 21, tried to make a wide move under Luis Saez, but “emptied out” down the lane, Cox said. “I’m disappointed in the race for him,” Cox said. “It wasn’t his fault. I don’t know who could have closed in that pace yesterday.” Cox did not rule out running Instant Coffee back in the Lexington Stakes on April 15 at Keeneland, but said he would wait at least a week to 10 days before making a decision. Cox said Louisiana Derby third-place finisher Jace’s Road would be considered for the Kentucky Derby if he’s able to get into the field. Both horses ship to Churchill Downs this week. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.