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Orseno takes aim at Preakness upset
By Ed McNamara
Special to ESPN.com
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PREAKNESS PROBABLES
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Here is the likely field of horses so far who'll run in Saturday's Preakness Stakes and where each finished in the Kentucky Derby.
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Fusaichi Pegasus
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1st
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Captain Steve
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8th
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High Yield
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15th
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Hal's Hope
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16th
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Hugh Hefner
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DNS
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Red Bullet
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DNS
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Snuck In
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DNS
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In those dark nights of the soul when sleep is troubled or will not come, sometimes you ponder missed opportunities. Could have been there. Could have done that. Nothing gnaws at your guts more than regrets. Failures
can sting, but at least you have the satisfaction of knowing you went for
it. Passively letting a chance go by can make you think less of yourself.
Trainer Joe Orseno was a prime candidate for self-laceration late on the afternoon of May 6 as he sat in front of the television at his home in Atlantic Beach, N.Y. He was watching ABC's telecast of the Kentucky Derby,
and he could have been a contender that day at Churchill Downs. A few weeks
before, owner Frank Stronach decided to keep his gifted but
inexperienced colt, Red Bullet, out of the Derby to wait for the Preakness
Stakes on May 20.
In the days leading up to the Derby, Orseno wasn't sure how the role of faraway bystander would feel. If a certain scenario played out, would he be beating himself up?
"I thought I'd be sitting there saying, 'Oh, I could have won the Derby.' But I didn't feel that way," the 44-year-old native of Philadelphia said Thursday. "I don't have any regrets at all. I see my horse doing so
well and see how much he has benefited by not going through all that. I'm
happy we followed our plan."
Red Bullet was unbeaten in three lifetime starts when he took on Fusaichi Pegasus, the eventual Derby winner, on April 15 on a wet track in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Circumstances were against Red Bullet and
rider Alex Solis, who was forced to chase pacesetter Country Only while
Fusaichi Pegasus tracked in third, getting the perfect trip.
|  | | While he was held out of the Derby by trainer Joe Orseno, Red Bullet finished second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Wood Memorial and beat Aptitude. |
When the big horse made his move in upper stretch, Red Bullet couldn't go with him, but
he had enough left to hold second, 4¼ lengths behind the winner and 1½ lengths ahead of the late-closing Aptitude, the Derby runner-up.
"I was happy to see Aptitude run well at Churchill, because I think it makes my horse look a little stronger," Orseno said. "I don't think 4¼ lengths is that big a margin to make up."
People who had bet on Red Bullet in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager were angry and disgusted that their tickets had become worthless. Owner Frank Stronach and Orseno did the right thing, though. Red Bullet didn't make his career
debut until Jan. 8, and every Derby winner since Apollo in 1882 ran at least
once as a 2-year-old. It's not wise to challenge 118-year-old streaks.
Orseno likes his chances at Pimlico against Fusaichi Pegasus, who will have only two weeks between races, three fewer than Red Bullet. Orseno thinks the extra rest gives him an edge, even though he was reminded that no
horse has skipped the Derby and won the Preakness since mud freak Deputed
Testamony pulled an upset in 1983.
A rider switch should be a plus for Red Bullet, who will be reunited with the top big-race jockey in North America, Jerry Bailey. The cool, intelligent Bailey rarely makes a tactical error. If Red Bullet is at the
top of his game, Bailey will be odds-on to put him in position to win, as he
did in his second start.
"My horse is training fantastic," Orseno said. "He's push-button and you can do what you want with him. I think he's proven he's a little better than Aptitude. So how much closer do you have to be to have a chance to beat
Fusaichi Pegasus?"
Aptitude is skipping the Preakness to await the Belmont. His trainer, Bobby Frankel, is not conceding the Triple Crown to trainer Neil Drysdale's star, and neither is Orseno.
"I respect Fusaichi Pegasus, but I don't think he's unbeatable," Orseno said. "I've always been told never to duck one horse. Maybe a really strong field, but not one horse.
"These are racehorses. They're not machines. They're vulnerable. There are so many ways to lose, and only one way to win. You can't say (FusaichiPegasus) is an iron horse. Not yet.
"I believe in my heart that we can win the race. I think we're going into the Preakness at our best."
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