Florida Derby: Hades needs to 'show up' for showdown

Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Trainer Joe Orseno could not help but ask himself the question as he watched Locked, Victory Avenue and then Speak Easy scratched from the March 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, leaving Dornoch to toy with four overmatched foes.

What if he had entered Hades in that Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep? Even if the winner of the Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) had not prevailed, he might well have snagged the 25 qualifying points awarded for second place and eased pressure on a big performance in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby (G1).

Orseno, 68, briefly considered that but just as quickly dismissed the thought. He learned long ago that there is no value in second-guessing in a game rife with that. And he believes Hades can be the horse of his dreams since he opened his stable 45 years ago.

“When you see the race fall apart, you think, ‘Well, maybe I should have been in there,’ ” he admitted. “But knowing where my horse is right now (going into the Florida Derby) versus running him back in four weeks and then running him back in four more weeks, I don’t know if you’d have enough left going into the Kentucky Derby to think you have a shot.”

One thought has driven his planning since he recognized Hades as “special, special.” Get to the first Saturday in May with a legitimate shot.

“We don’t want to go to the Kentucky Derby thinking, ‘It’s great to be here. It’s an honor to be one of the 20,’ ” he said. “I’m going there for one reason. I think I’m going to be very competitive. If my horse can run his race and you know he’s fresh and I’ve got plenty in the tank, that’s all you can ask. The rest is up to the jockey and the trip he gets.”

Hades, owned by Leonard Green’s D.J. Stable and Robert Cotran, steams into the pivotal Florida Derby with three wins in as many starts. The centerpiece of Gulfstream Park’s championship meet will award the top five finishers qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. With the last major preps to be run this weekend and next, the gelded son of Awesome Slew ranks 21st on a Kentucky Derby leaderboard that's about to undergo serious shuffling.

Hades, who will break from post 2 in a field of 11 with regular rider Paco Lopez aboard, is listed as the third choice in the morning line at 7-2. Two-year-old champion Fierceness, a disappointing third to Hades in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull for owner Mike Repole, is expected to reassert himself despite drawing post 10. He is favored at 8-5. Courtlandt Farms’ highly regarded Conquest Warrior is set to break just inside of Fierceness. He is the second choice at 3-1.

Orseno is keenly aware that Hades can ill afford a rough trip or his first bad day since he made an eye-opening debut on Dec. 9 and followed that with an eight-length romp in an allowance race three weeks later. Both races were at Gulfstream, where he trains.

“With the points system, he’s got to show up in this race,” the trainer said. “But if I didn’t think he was going to show up in this race, there is no need to think past this race, either.”

Orseno is no stranger to the big stage. He enjoyed a huge year in 2000. Red Bullet won the Preakness in the spring. In the fall, Macho Uno took the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Perfect Sting secured the Filly & Mare Turf.

“I’ve known what to do with these horses for quite a while. I just haven’t had them,” he said, convinced he finally has the right horse at the right time.