Connections Eye Florida Route to Derby for Holy Bull Winner Hades

D. J. Stable LLC and Robert Cotran's Hades (Awesome Slew), upset winner of Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. over juvenile champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), may be pointed to either the Mar. 2 GII Fountain of Youth S. or the Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby, hinted trainer Joe Orseno to the Gulfstream Park notes team Thursday.

“We're obviously working backwards from the first Saturday in May,” said Orseno. “We'll do what's best for the horses. I don't think both races are in the plans. If I had to guess today, I'd say the latter one.”

Orseno said the undefeated Hades came out of his Holy Bull win in good shape.

“My both feet are on the ground and everything's fine,” said Orseno. “The horse is doing great. He came out of it really well in his training. He's been back training two days. He's galloping great.”

Orseno continued: “Yesterday, he was more aggressive. It was windy and it was his first day back on the track. Today, he was more settled.”

The trainer also detailed the decision that led to gelding the bay, who is now unbeaten in three starts. Orseno had spotted Hades at the 2023 OBS April Sale, where he worked two furlongs in :21 1/5. D. J. Stable signed the ticket and Orseno brought his longtime client Cotran in to team up on the Florida-bred colt.

“When I bought him out of the sale, I gave him a week and brought him down here. He just wasn't training like I thought he should have been,” Orseno said. “He was stud-ish, really stud-ish. He was a little weak behind. He didn't seem to be himself. I said, 'This isn't the horse I bought,' because we really loved him.”

Despite extra time turned out in Ocala, Hades showed no improvement.

“He was being real stud-ish, not going forward. I said, 'Just cut him and help him grow up a little bit.' That's what we did. We just gave him time and cut him. He's a son of Awesome Slew. Nobody was thinking 'stallion' at that point. Nobody was thinking anything. We bought a racehorse and we've got to get him to the races.”

The result is an undefeated prospect who has earned 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

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Uncle Mo’s Distant Sky Faces Winners At Tokyo

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo Racecourse. An otherwise-typical Sunday afternoon of racing at headquarters is spiced up considerably by the seasonal debut of the US-conceived reigning Japanese champion 2-year-old male Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai over 1800 meters:

Saturday, February 10, 2024
2nd-TOK, ¥11,850,000 ($79k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
GRAND MEADOW (c, 3, American Pharoah–Meadow Breeze, by Meadowlake), a $150,000 Keeneland September graduate, is out of the 2006 GI Matron S. winner who is also responsible for Grade III winner Magic Star (Scat Daddy) and GI Hopeful S. runner-up Royal Copy (Bodemeister). Meadow Breeze is kin to 11 winners from 15 to race, including GI Arkansas Derby hero Overanalyze (Dixie Union), GISP Majesto (Tiznow) and GSP Mighty Monsoon (Forestry). B-Betz/D J Stables/CoCo/Burns/American Pharoah Syndicate (KY)

REGGAE BEACH (c, 3, Omaha Beach–Reggae Rose, by Touch Gold) was bought back on a bid of $90,000 at Keeneland September in 2022, but was hammered down to JS Company for $200,000 after breezing an eighth of a mile (video) at last year's OBS April Sale. The May 6 foal, whose dam is a half-sister to GSW/GISP Celtic New Year (North Light {Ire}), is herself related to MGSW Shakhimat (Lonhro {Aus}) and GSW Whatmakessammyrun (We Miss Artie). The stakes-winning third dam Valid Victress (Valid Appeal) produced champion Perfect Sting (Red Ranson), whose seven winners as a broodmare include GIII Selene S. victress Smart Sting (Smart Strike). B-Nursery Place, Donaldson, Broadbent (KY)

Sunday, February 11, 2024
7th-TOK, ¥14,880,000 ($100k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600m
DISTANT SKY (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Elisheva, by Smart Strike) opened his account with a 1 1/4-length victory in a 1400-meter newcomers' event at Kyoto Jan. 11 (see below, SC 13) and looks to repeat the dose here over a bit more ground with Yutaka Take back in the irons. The North Hills homebred is out of a daughter of champion Believe (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), also the dam of G1 Sprinters' S. winner Gendarme (Kitten's Joy), MSW/G1SP Faridat (Kingmambo) and SW & GSP Fiducia (Medaglia d'Oro). B-North Hills Co Ltd (KY)

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Half To Rizeena Debuts At Chantilly

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Rizeena (Ire).

15.10 Chantilly, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, f, 8f (AWT)
FUJIWHARA (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is a half-sister to the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and the G2 Balanchine S. scorer and GI Just A Game S. and GI Diana S. winner Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) who debuts for LNJ Foxwood and the Tim Donworth stable. Among her peers is the Wertheimers' Eurasienne (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), a Christophe Ferland-trained daughter of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Indonesienne (Ire) (Muhtathir {GB}).

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