Ocelli, Corona de Oro Under Preakness Consideration

Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate, and Front Page Equestrian's Ocelli, third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) as a maiden and the biggest longshot in the field of 18 at odds of 70-1, is now under consideration for the 151st Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16 at Laurel Park. Trainer Whit Beckman upgraded Ocelli's likelihood for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown from "extremely unlikely" May 3 to "maybe" May 5. "If you look at it from a pace perspective, it could go as fast as the Derby," Beckman said, referencing a scenario that would help a closer such as Ocelli. "He's doing great. That's the only reason I'm saying, 'yeah, maybe.' The horse is doing fantastic. The horse is made of iron. Generally, I run a horse, they may not come to the front of their stall for a week. He was right there." Asked if there was any downside to running Ocelli in the Preakness, he said, "The only downside is if the horse is not ready to do it." He noted that the Preakness winner usually is a horse that ran two weeks earlier in the Derby. The upside, Beckman said, "is the chance to win a Triple Crown race." Ocelli came into the Derby winless in six starts, with a second and three thirds, capped by his third-place finish in the Wood Memorial (G2) April 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack. But Beckman did not consider him a "maiden." "Nobody said it to my face, but I'm sure people were thinking, 'How stupid is this guy putting in a maiden?'" Beckman said. "But they don't get to see what I see every day. They don't get to see a horse that wants more and more and more, that trains like an absolute terror. I think the thing we always miss is the development of these 3-year-olds. You don't know who is going to be the best 3-year-old on the first Saturday in May, in comparison to horses rounding into form in March and April." In the Derby, Ocelli stuck his head in front at the 16th pole before grudgingly giving way to Golden Tempo and Renegade. "When he was coming around the turn and just picking up horses real easily... when he passed Danon Bourbon (who took the lead on the far turn), I was watching in the paddock and you couldn't see the outside horses," Beckman said. "That was about the longest two seconds of my life, where my breath just stopped, and I thought, 'He can get there!' Then reality caught up to us. It wasn't even a whole length, I don't think." Bodexpress in 2019 was the last maiden to enter the Preakness, though he dumped Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez leaving the starting gate and ran the entire race riderless before being caught by an outrider. The most recent maiden to win the Preakness was Refund in 1888, one of six maiden Preakness winners prior to 1900. Connections Thinking About Preakness for Corona de Oro Grade 3-placed Corona de Oro, excluded from the Kentucky Derby as the lone remaining also-eligible, is under consideration for the Preakness, according to trainer and co-owner Dallas Stewart. "We're thinking about it. We just have to see," Stewart said. "I'm going to work him again Saturday. He's a very nice horse." David Berman of U Racing Stables purchased Corona de Oro for $160,000 out of Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last spring. The sale takes place the week after the Preakness in Timonium, Md. Corona de Oro's owners also include On Our Own Stable, Commonwealth Stable, Saints or Sinners, Titletown Racing, Jim Nichols, Edwin Barker, Daniel Rivers, and John Haines. By three-time grade 1-winning millionaire Bolt d'Oro, Corona de Oro most recently finished third as the third betting choice of nine horses in the April 11 Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. The 32-1 upset winner of the Lexington, Trendsetter, is entered in the May 9 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont at the Big A, while runner-up The Hell We Did arrived April 28 at Laurel to prep for the Preakness. "He's a nice horse, and he's developing nicely," Stewart said. "He really hits me good. I like the horse. We'll see who's running and try to figure it out." Corona de Oro was fourth on the also-eligible list for the Kentucky Derby, which saw Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta draw in following scratches. Corona de Oro did not get in when The Puma was withdrawn because he was ruled out less than 12 hours before post time, past the deadline for those on the waiting list. Based at Churchill Downs, Corona de Oro has breezed twice since the Lexington, including a sharp 5-furlong work in 1:00 1/5 on Derby Day, May 2, second-fastest of 14 horses at the distance. "He's good and healthy. It's just one step at a time," Stewart said. "We missed the Derby, and I'm OK with that. We were like anybody else. You just hope to get into the Derby. It didn't work out. It just wasn't meant to be, so we'll move on." Asmussen Thrilled for Stallion Curlin to Sweep Triple Crown Chip Honcho, fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2) in which Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo was third, worked 5 furlongs on Derby morning in 1:00, the fastest of 14 timed works at that distance in preparation for the Preakness. While Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen was happy with the work, he really was thrilled that two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin—the 2007 Preakness winner—completed his own Triple Crown as a stallion. Curlin sired 2013 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Palace Malice and 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator. Chip Honcho faced Golden Tempo three times over the winter at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. After a victory in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes—named for another Asmussen-trained Hall of Famer—Chip Honcho was fourth by a total of 1 3/4 lengths in the Lecomte Stakes (G3), won by Golden Tempo. Following that race, Chip Honcho was a close second to the now-sidelined Paladin in the Risen Star Stakes (G2), with Golden Tempo another 5 1/2 lengths back in third. After the Louisiana Derby, Asmussen opted to skip the Kentucky Derby to point to the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Pleased with the way Chip Honcho went in his work, Asmussen was thrilled with the outcome of the Derby given that Chip Honcho had beaten and been competitive with Golden Tempo. "I'm extremely happy with the results of the Derby," he said. "Curlin finally got his Derby done, which is unbelievable. The horse that was second (Renegade) is out of a Curlin mare and the horse that was third (Ocelli) is by Connect, who's by Curlin. It was a Curlin Derby." Chip Honcho is also a son of Connect. The $210,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July 2024 yearling purchase races for Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilia. Asmussen also won the Preakness in 2009 with Hall of Fame filly Rachel Alexandra, who was making the first start for her new barn after being sold to late wine magnate Jess Jackson following a 20 1/4-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Hell We Did Enjoying Laurel Life, Next Work May 9 Peacock Family Racing Stable's homebred The Hell We Did continues to enjoy his new digs at Laurel Park since arriving April 28 from Kentucky ahead of his scheduled next start in the Preakness. "Everything with him is good," trainer Todd Fincher said of the Lexington runner-up, who is being overseen by his assistant and exercise rider Oscar Rojero until Fincher's arrival May 8. "He obviously traveled really well, so we're very happy with that." Fincher plans to be on hand for The Hell We Did's final Preakness work May 9. The son of 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner, Preakness runner-up, and Horse of the Year Authentic went 5 furlongs over Laurel's main track in 1:00 3/5 May 2. "He had a good work and he came back good and is eating everything," Fincher said. "He scoped good, so everything is on schedule for his next work Saturday." The Preakness will be the fifth start at as many racetracks for The Hell We Did, who won his maiden last fall at Remington Park and beat older horses in an open allowance March 15 at Sunland Park. Also second in the Zia Park Juvenile Stakes, The Hell We Did made his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington at Keeneland. Following back-to-back walk days out of his work, The Hell We Did returned to the track Tuesday. "Unfortunately, they had the track closed yesterday so he had to walk two days in a row," Fincher said, "but he went back to the track today and is doing really good."