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With a Bullet Orseno looks for encore at Preakness
Posted: Monday May 15, 2000 08:41 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Trainer Joe Orseno figures one dazzling victory deserves another. After enjoying surprise success Saturday with Golden Missile in the Pimlico Special, Orseno hopes to pull off another upset in the Preakness with well-rested Red Bullet. Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, who worked five furlongs in a brisk 59 seconds at Churchill Downs on Monday, is the obvious favorite in Saturday's Preakness. But Orseno isn't conceding anything. "Let's face it, the hype is over Pegasus because he won the Derby," Orseno said Monday. "The excitement is over a potential Triple Crown winner, and the excitement for me is upsetting the Triple Crown winner and making the world mad at me." Golden Missile breezed to a two-length victory over Pleasant Breeze in the $750,000 Pimlico Special, distancing himself from favorites K One King and Lemon Drop Kid with an impressive stretch run. That left Orseno in position to become only the second trainer to saddle winners in both the Special and Preakness on successive weekends. In 1996, Nick Zito scored with Star Standard and then won the Preakness with Louis Quatorze. "It's totally different circumstances, but we're going in on a high note, so that's exciting," Orseno said. Red Bullet made his debut in January and won three straight races before finishing second behind Fusaichi Pegasus in the Wood Memorial last month. Frank Stronach, the owner of Red Bullet, then decided to skip the Kentucky Derby and focus on winning the Preakness. "At first I thought it wasn't a very good idea. Then, after about four seconds, I started to think about the logic involved," Orseno recalled. "We decided it was really the right thing to do, give him about five weeks off after a race that probably took a little bit more out of him than I'd like to admit." As Red Bullet munched on some grass near his stall in the Stakes Barn at Pimlico, Orseno spoke confidently about the decision to hold the horse out of the Derby. "He benefited greatly from the five weeks. He's as sharp as he can be, and I think he's getting ready to run a real big race in the Preakness," Orseno said. "I think we've done everything to bring him into this race properly." The horseracing world is buzzing about Fusaichi Pegasus, but Orseno hopes to sway that line of thinking. A victory Saturday will go a long way toward accomplishing that feat. "We wanted to take our best shot at being 3-year-old of the year," Orseno said. "We figure if we can beat him here and then one more time down the road somewhere, we have a good chance." Red Bullet will be ridden by Jerry Bailey, who guided the horse to victory in February before deciding to try his luck in California. "I think Jerry made a mistake. But I was pleased to get him back, and now that's all behind us," Orseno said. The prospective Preakness field lost a horse Monday, but likely gained another in its place. Wheelaway trainer John Kimmel opted against entering the Derby's fifth-place finisher, saying, "After conferring with the owners, it was decided to skip the Preakness and get the horse ready for the Belmont Stakes." Impeachment, which took third in the Derby, will likely make the trip to Baltimore. Trainer Todd Pletcher said he would make a decision on the horse after Tuesday morning's workout at Belmont Park.
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