Curlin Florida Derby News & Notes: Orseno Happy with Decision to Wait for Florida Derby

By David Joseph —-

March 29, 2024

Curlin Florida Derby News & Notes

Dreaming of Kona Taking Aim at $125K Sir Shackleton

HALLANDALE BEACH– After D. J. Stable LLC and Robert Cotran’s Hades pulled off a gutsy front-running victory in the Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park, trainer Joe Orseno had a decision to make.

Would he run the undefeated Florida-bred gelding back in the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) March 2? Or would he wait for the $1 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa four weeks later?

Orseno opted to give the son of Awesome Slew some extra time and passed on the Fountain of Youth and its 105 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points. The field for the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth would scratch down to only five horses, making it considerably easier for its participants to earn more Derby points.

Yet, Orseno hasn’t second-guessed his decision to point Hades to the Florida Derby after he earned 20 Derby points for his Holy Bull win.

“I’m happy with my decision. I never once sat back and said, ‘Uh oh, they scratched down to five and I should have been in there,’” Orseno said. “I did what was right for my horse, and I’m going to live with that.”

Hades is rated at 7-2 on the morning line, behind Todd Pletcher-trained Fierceness, the Holy Bull third-place finisher who has been installed as the 8-5 favorite, and Shug McGaughey-trained Conquest Warrior, who is rated second at 3-1.

“They’re two very good horses,” Orseno said. “I’ve watched Shug’s horse run. I’m not sure what he beat that day, but he finished up with determination and galloped out strong. I know he’s a very good horse. When you give $2 million for a horse, you better be nice.

“Todd’s a great trainer. I think Todd had him ready that day. I respect that horse and I know he’s going to be ready. He may have needed the race. It happens,” he added. “A lot of good horses coming off the juvenile year – 2 turning 3 – maybe they’re not the same, maybe they are. The jury’s still out. Todd’s going to answer some questions coming up in the Florida Derby.”

Hades has demonstrated versatility during his flawless three-race career, rallying from off the pace in his 5 ½-length debut score and setting pressured paces in his seven-furlong optional claiming allowance and Holy Bull victories.

Hades’ success has been particularly rewarding being able to share it with his longtime clients, whom he brought together to buy Hades for $130,000 at the 2023 OBS April sale.

“We’ve been together for quite a while. We’ve had highs and lows, like most outfits, but we remain good friends,” Orseno said of D. J. Stable’s Leonard and Lois Green. “It’s so nice to have a horse with them and their partner Robert Cotran. He’s been a client since ’84 or ’85, so it’s kind of nice to put them together.”

G1 Florida Derby Chance to Rebound for Real Macho

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Rohan Crichton, Daniel Walters and Dennis Smith’s 3-year-old colt Real Macho has alternated wins and losses through his first five starts, and the connections are hoping the pattern continues in Saturday’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Real Macho, a chestnut son of South Florida fan favorite and Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Mucho Macho Man, exits a fourth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) March 2, earning 10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1).

The 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, the nation’s premiere Triple Crown prep race that has produced 25 Kentucky Derby winners, offers 200 points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.

“You can’t ask for him to be doing any better,” trainer and co-owner Crichton said. “He’s coming off of a disappointing run in the Fountain of Youth so your confidence gets a little jolted, but it’s good to see how he’s been training since. We think that greenness contributed to his lackluster performance, and I think that he’s going to run better this time.”

Real Macho raced third through a half-mile that went in 48.14 seconds then steadily lost ground to wind up 7 ¾ lengths behind winner Dornoch in the Fountain of Youth, which scratched down to five horses. The Florida Derby drew a field of 11 including the top four finishers from the Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) – Hades, Le Dom Bro, Frankie’s Empire and 2023 2-year-old male champion Fierceness – as well as Conquest Warrior, making his stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey off back-to-back Gulfstream wins.

“I like the fact that we’ve got a little bit more speed this time, so I would rather not see him trying to prompt the pace. The last time with only five horses we actually had to sit a little closer than he likes to. We’re hoping for a good trip on the outside,” Crichton said. “The post is great. He’s training and eating and feeling well. I just want to see a horse that is focused.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will be up on Real Macho from Post 5, replacing Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the previous two races but riding out of town on Saturday. They are rated at 20-1 on the morning line.

“I think the horse just needs to put it together mentally. Physically, I think he wants to go two turns. He wants to go long. I don’t think distance is a problem,” Crichton said. “He’s actually relaxing more when we’re saddling him and all that. He gets into spots in the race and he’s kind of not trying to run, which we hope is not the case on Saturday.”

Dreaming of Kona Taking Aim at $125,000 Sir Shackleton

Aldana Gonzalez Racing and Lisa and Steve Ballou’s multiple-stakes winner Dreaming of Kona faces eight rivals including Gulfstream Park-loving Ticking and Shaq Diesel in Saturday’s $125,000 Sir Shackleton for older sprinters.

The seven-furlong Sir Shackleton, named for the millionaire winner of the 2005 Richter Scale Breeders’ Cup Sprint Championship Handicap (G2) in 2005 at Gulfstream, is the fifth of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million in purses on the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa program.

Dreaming of Kona ran second by a half-length in the 2023 Mucho Macho Man at odds of 19-1 but was elevated to the win following the disqualification of first-place finisher Legacy Isle, who also returns in the Sir Shackleton but with blinkers on for the first time in six starts.

After finishing off the board in back-to-back graded-stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, Dreaming of Kona scored a popular half-length victory in the six-furlong Tom Ridge over the all-weather surface at Presque Isle Downs. He is winless in seven subsequent starts but placed four times including a third behind Group 1-winning millionaire Sibelius in the Mr. Prospector (G3) Dec. 23 when facing older horses.

Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing and Laurie Plesa’s Ticking owns three wins from six starts at Gulfstream, the most recent a 1 ¼-length optional claiming allowance triumph sprinting seven furlongs Jan. 20. His two previous stakes starts came on Gulfstream’s turf and all-weather Tapeta courses, the best finish a fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Not Surprising last June.

Chester Bishop, Anthony Hinkson, Alvin Rampaul, Patrick Biggs and Donovan Stanford’s Shaq Diesel has made four starts since October for Gulfstream-based David Fawkes, two of them wins, including the Marion County Florida Sire Stakes in December at Tampa. Last out he was a troubled fourth in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), his first graded attempt since running 12th in last year’s Florida Derby.

Also entered are Vivir Con Alegria, second in three straight starts; five-time winner Implementation; Long Range Toddy, fourth in the Mr. Prospector and Feb. 24 Gulfstream Park Sprint; Oscar Eclipse, making his first start since running third in the 1 3/16-mile Bourbon Trail last fall; and six-time winner Thought in his stakes debut.

Gulfstream Today

3.29.24

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Estimated at $1.75 Million

Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Scheduled for Sunday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have an estimated pool of $1.75 million for Saturday’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa program at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Friday for the 18th consecutive racing day.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 pool will begin with a carryover of $695,915.07 from Friday’s program. The Rainbow 6 was last hit for a $35,544.70 mandatory payout March 3.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 9-14 anchored by the 73rd running of the tradition-rich Florida Derby, which has seen 46 starters go on to win a remarkable 59 Triple Crown races in its tradition-rich history. This year’s edition attracted a field of 11 3-year-olds led by 2023 2-year-old male champion Fierceness, the 8-5 program favorite trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, as well as Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) winner Hades.

Repole Stable homebred Fierceness is looking to bounce back from a third-place finish in the Holy Bull the same way he did to cap his championship season with a decisive triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) after running a distant seventh in the Champagne (G1). He drew Post 10 in the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby; Forte won last year’s Derby from Post 11 for Repole and Pletcher.

First-race post time is set for 11:30 a.m. Silks, Gulfstream’s simulcast facility, will open its doors at 8 a.m. to accommodate wagering from Meydan Racecourse capped by the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) featuring $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) winner Senor Buscador and Crupi, respectively second and third in Gulfstream’s Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 27.

The Florida Derby program features 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million in purses. The all-stakes Rainbow 6 sequence begins in Race 9 with the $125,000 Sir Shackleton for older sprinters going seven furlongs. Long Range Toddy, two-for-four at Gulfstream since joining trainer Victor Barbosa Jr. last summer, is favored at 5-2 off a fourth in the Feb. 24 Gulfstream Park Sprint. Dreaming of Kona, whose two stakes wins include a promoted victory in Gulfstream’s 2023 Mucho Macho Man, looks to snap a seven-race losing streak.

Klaravich Stables, Inc.’s Grade 1-winning millionaire McKulick is entered to launch her 5-year-old campaign in Race 10, the $150,000 Orchid (G3) for fillies and mares 4 and up scheduled for 1 ½ miles on the grass. The Frankel mare has been worse than third just twice in 14 starts, running 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) Nov. 4 in her most recent start. Pletcher counters with Grade 3 winner Surprisingly, exiting a runner-up finish in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) Jan. 27.

Fiona’s Magic and Into Champagne, respectively first and second separated by a length in the March 2 Davona Dale (G2), renew their rivalry in Race 11, the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) for 3-year-old fillies. Fiona’s Magic had run second in the Feb. 3 Forward Gal (G3) while Into Champagne, winner of Gulfstream’s Glitter Woman Jan. 7, lost for the first time. Favored at 8-5 is Klaravich homebred Ways and Means, racing for the third time and first since a runner-up finish in the Spinaway (G1) Sept. 3 at Saratoga.

The $125,000 Sand Springs, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares 4 and up, features Grade 1 winner Marketsegmentation, the defending champion that was last seen finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Diana (G1) in mid-July at Saratoga. Pletcher will send out multiple stakes winner Cairo Consort, most recently third in the 1 3/8-mile The Very One (G3) March 2.

A full field of older horses will contest the $150,000 Appleton, a one-mile turf stakes, in Race 13. Pletcher entered the pair of Quality G, riding a two-race win streak into his graded debut, and multiple stakes winner Never Surprised, runner-up in the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). The wide-open field includes four-time stakes winner Big Everest, unraced since capturing the one-mile Artie Schiller in mid-November, and multiple graded-stakes placed Ice Chocolat, most recently third in Gulfstream’s 1 1/16-mile Canadian Turf (G3) March 2.

All eyes will be on Fierceness in the Florida Derby, a race Pletcher has won a record seven times and Fierceness’ jockey, Hall of Famer John Velazquez, has won a record five times. Hades, who beat Fierceness in the Holy Bull, will put his perfect record on the line looking for a fourth straight win. Conquest Warrior will garner plenty of attention after winning both his starts this year over Gulfstream’s main track, including a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance March 1, for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

On Saturday’s Florida Derby program, the Late Pick 5 pool will be guaranteed at $1 million while the Late Pick 4 pool will be guaranteed at $750,000. The Late Pick 5 will span Races 10-14, while the Late Pick 4 will span Races 11-14. The Florida Derby will anchor both sequences.

A Rainbow 6 mandatory payout is scheduled for Sunday, the last day of the Championship Meet. Should the Rainbow go unsolved through Saturday’s Florida Derby Day program, the pool is expected to exceed $5 million Sunday.

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