Orseno toying with idea of running Hades in Fountain of Youth

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After watching Hades work a solid half-mile and gallop out a strong six furlongs here Saturday, trainer Joe Orseno did not rule out the possibility that the upset winner of the Grade 3 Holy Bull could return a week from Saturday in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.

Working for the first time since remaining undefeated in three starts with his two-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull on Feb. 3, Hades breezed an easy half-mile in 48.25 seconds. He finished strong, then galloped out with the same energy he displayed galloping out after the Holy Bull, completing five furlongs in 1:00.82 before easing up three-quarters in 1:13.44 over a fast but somewhat cuppy racetrack.

“We were happy with the work,” Orseno said. “It was exactly what I was looking for. He finished fast and galloped out strong. I told my rider to make sure he keeps going another quarter-mile after the wire. That’s what he does, that’s what he did. And he came back great.”

As for the Fountain of Youth, Orseno said he will let his horse help him make that decision.

“It’s not so much what he did in the work, it’s how he’s doing the next day and the next day after that moving forward,” Orseno explained. “It’s not my plan to run in the Fountain of Youth, but if he’s bucking and kicking the walls down. Some horses need to run.

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“If we were to decide to run him in this race, I might not work him again but gallop him a strong mile. Get that into him and he should be dead ready.”

Among those Hades could face if Orseno opts to run him in the Fountain of Youth are Remsen winner Dornoch, the Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Locked and Born Noble, recent allowance winner Real Macho, Dancing Groom, exciting maiden winner Conquest Warrior, and the promising maiden Victory Avenue.

Trainer Shug McGaughey said he is “entertaining the thought” of running Conquest Warrior in the Fountain of Youth, although he does have the option of putting him in a first-level allowance race that’s in the condition book two days earlier. Conquest Warrior overcame a very rough start before rallying to a half-length victory over Antiquarian to earn his diploma on Jan. 13. Antiquarian flattered the effort by winning his maiden last Saturday at Fair Grounds.

“I’m up in the air at the moment, just kind of waiting to see how everything pans out over the next couple of weeks,” McGaughey said Monday. “If the allowance race doesn’t fill, the Fountain of Youth is probably where I’ll go. He breezed up there [at Payson Park] on Saturday and all is good.”

Dornoch’s game victory over Sierra Leone in the Grade 2 Remsen in his 2-year-old finale looks even better since Sierra Leone returned to win the Risen Star on Saturday. Dornoch had his fourth local breeze last Friday at Palm Meadows, recording a near-bullet half-mile in 48.80 for trainer Danny Gargan.

Entries for the Fountain of Youth will be drawn Saturday.

Kathleen O. begins comeback

McGaughey is looking forward to the return of his multiple Grade 2-winning mare Kathleen O., who makes her first start in nearly 10 months in Wednesday’s $92,000 allowance feature going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

Kathleen O. topped her division here two years ago, capturing both the Grade 2 Davona Dale and Gulfstream Park Oaks in popular fashion before finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. She has started just four times since, returning to finish second here last winter in the Grade 3 Royal Delta before going to the sidelines after a disappointing effort in the Grade 2 Ruffian last May at Belmont Park.

“She was a little banged up at the time, so we gave her plenty of time off,” McGaughey said. “She’s had a good winter, this is the best I’ve ever seen her train, and this race is a good place to get her started again.

“The distance is a little short for her, obviously she’s going to need a little speed to develop in front of her, but the main objective is for her to run good, come back good, and move forward off this race.”

In addition to Kathleen O., the field includes three other stakes winners – Drifaros, Charlie’s Wish, and Bazinga C. – along with Socially Selective, who is stakes-placed, and Rachel’s Rock.

Drifaros also is returning from an extended vacation, having been idle since finishing a distant second in the Grade 3 Chicago Stakes at Ellis Park in late June. The speedy filly won the Minaret Stakes at Tampa and finished third in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie during her 2023 campaign.

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Socially Selective may go postward the favorite off her seven-length allowance win here last month for which she received a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure. The outing was the first in nine months for the lightly raced daughter of Speighster, who is trained by Bill Mott.

Charlie’s Wish returns to the main track and shortens up to a sprint after finishing third in the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf on Jan. 14. She received a career-best 84 Beyer for that effort.

Charlie’s Wish captured the Azalea Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths here last summer and has been stakes-placed on five other occasions.

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