Kentucky Derby pedigree: Is Hades a legitimate contender?

Hades brought his race record to 3-for-3 with a surprise wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, earning 20 qualifying points for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.

The gelding's dawdling fractions for 1 1/16 miles were 25.03, 50.53, 1:14,25, 1:39.28 and a final time of 1:46.07. His final half-furlong was 6.79 seconds. This was the slowest final time since Gulfstream extended the Holy Bull distance from a mile to 1 1/16 miles in 2013.

So who is this interloper who handily defeated the 2-year-old champ Fierceness?

Hades graduated at first asking in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden optional claiming event in December. He encountered trouble initially but closed from last to win by a half-length.

Two weeks later, the Joseph Orseno trainee argued on the lead under Paco Lopez before opening up by eight lengths in a seven-furlong optional claiming race. Hades was flattered by a next-out winner returning from both races.

Hades (Awesome Slew - The Shady Lady, by Quality Road) sold for $130,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale after breezing two furlongs in 21.1.

Joseph Orseno conditions horses for D.J. Stable and Robert Cotran. He suggested they team up to buy the son of Awesome Slew. Hades was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O'Farrell III, David O'Farrell et al.

Joseph Orseno isn't just a local yokel. He has a history of upsetting the applecart in the nation's most prestigious races and knows how to get a talented horse ready for the spotlight.

2000 was a banner year for Orseno. First, he conditioned Golden Missile to an upset victory in the Pimlico Special on the Preakness undercard. Then he returned a few races later with Red Bullet in the 2000 Preakness, triumphing over Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.

Later in the year, Orseno saddled Macho Uno for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile victory and Perfect Sting in the Filly and Mare Turf. Both received year-end championship honors.

Sire

By a Breeders' Cup Classic winner out of a stakes-winning daughter of Super Derby hero Seeking the Gold, and with Triple Crown champ Seattle Slew as his second damsire, Awesome Slew (Awesome Again - Slewfoundmoney, by Seeking the Gold) had the breeding to run all day.

But the Live Oak Plantation homebred discovered his distance limit was 1 1/16 miles against stakes competitors. The Mark Casse trainee hit the board once in three starts at 1 1/8 miles.

Awesome Slew faced heavy hitters during his four-race career, finishing second behind 2016 champion sprinter Defong, Sharp Azteca, Mind Your Biscuits and Army Mule. Awesome Slew had a record of 23: 5-5-6 and retired in 2018 with $1,223,310 in earnings.

Awesome Slew's offspring are following suit, as none have won beyond 1/16 miles, although one finished third on the dirt at Camarero racetrack in Puerto Rico.

To date, Awesome Slew has sired 53 starters, 32 have won, and four own black type. Until Hades came along, his most accomplished runner was Awesome Strong, who swept the three-race 2022 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series.

Female family

There's plenty of class in Hades's female family. The heavy hitters are part of the third generation of the family, but all of his dam's half-sisters are producers.

Hades is the third competitor out of the unraced The Shady Lady (Quality Road - Lady Discreet, by Boundary). Capable over turf and Tapeta, The Shady Lady's progeny are successful as sprinter-milers, although Hades is the only winner around two turns. Besides Hades, the dark-bay mare produced the 2022 Astoria Stakes heroine Devious Dame. Hades has an unnamed 2-year-old full brother and a yearling half-sister by Girvin.

The Shady Lady is a half-sister to a pair of turf stakes winners. Chary (Montbrook) captured the 1 1/8-mile Calder Oaks over the lawn, and Courtesan (Street Sense) is a multiple stakes winner from a mile to 1 3/16 miles. She also placed in the Jessamine (G3) and the Bewitch (G3), both races at Keeneland. Both have produced minor stakes winners.

The Shady Lady's half-sister Lady Carlotta (Montbrook) is the third dam of recent Robert B. Lewis (G3) third-place finisher Scatify (G3).

There's plenty of class in Hades' third generation, including Grade 1 winners Discreet Cat, Discreetly Mine and Awesome Maria.

Hades' third dam, the superior mare Pretty Discreet (Private Account), placed in a pair of Grade 1 contests as a juvenile, the Matron and Frizette. At 3, she won the Alabama (G1) and was third in the Turnback the Alarm Handicap.

Pretty Discreet passed her class to multiple Grade 1 winning sprinter/milers Discreet Cat (Forestry) Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft), plus multiple Grade 1-placed Pretty Wild (Wild Again), and Grade 3-placed Discreet Pleasure.

Pretty Discreet is the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Awesome Maria (Maria's Mon), who was successful at the top level for four years from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. Awesome Maria's dam is by Awesome Again, Awesome Slew's sire.

An interesting note for pedigree geeks is that Hades and Withers Stakes (G3) hero Uncle Heavy descend from the same Lowes female family (2-n), although the families split in 1887. Hades and Belmont Stakes hero Touch Gold are closer relatives since the superior mare Happy Mood is Touch Gold's third dam, and she's the seventh dam of Hades.

Hades's damsire Quality Road (Elusive Quality - Kobla, by Strawberry Road) was successful from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. The apex of his career was the 2010 Donn Handicap (G1), where he destroyed a full field by 12 3/4 lengths, setting a track record of 1:47.49.

Quality Road is the damsire of 11 stakes winners from 236 starters, including last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Hard to Justify; Valiant Force, a Group 2-winning turf sprinter in England; and At Attention, a Grade 3 winner in Canada.

Kentucky Derby contender or pretender?

Two colts have accomplished the Holy Bull-Kentucky Derby double, Go for Gin in 1994 and Barbaro in 2006. More recently, Tiz the Law in 2020 was second and Audible was third in the Derby in 2018.

Hades showed versatility in his first two starts. He made a last-to-first move whipping seven wide around the far turn in his debut, then dueled on the lead while on the rail in his last two starts. He's professional, switching leads and keeping a straight path, although he paddles with his left foreleg.

Hades' pedigree suggests that 1 1/6 to 1 1/8 miles could be his distance range in top company, although running style and conditioning play a part.

Joseph Orseno is unsure whether Hades will return for the Fountain of Youth (G2). We'll also find out whether Hades is a one-hit wonder or if the veteran trainer can reclaim the limelight with a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender.