Hades Guts It Out In the Holy Bull As Fierceness Folds

[Wandering Eyes]

All eyes were on Eclipse Award and runaway GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Fierceness (City of Light) making his seasonal return in the GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. The tote read 1-5 on the champ, but the Repole homebred was out of gas when push game to shove and in a bit of an oddly run race, D J Stable and Robert Cotran's HADES (g, 3, Awesome Slew–The Shady Lady, by Quality Road) controlled a moderate tempo, slipped away from Fierceness in the final furlong and held off Domestic Product (Practical Joke) for a 9-1 upset and 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Hades was driven away from gate one by Paco Lopez, and Fierceness was also given a dig by John Velazquez in an effort to gain some forward position, but Fierceness did get fired up a bit as a result. Hades made the running fron Inveigled (Enticed) and a three-wide Fierceness and sensing a slow speed, Velazquez sent Fierceness into the lead a good three furlongs from home. Right alongside and in with every chance, Fierceness and Hades appeared to lightly brush inside the eighth pole and while the champion had no more to give, Hades kicked on to cause the surprise. Domestic Product sat an inside trip and got through at the fence into the stretch before going on to claim second. Hades is the second stakes winner and first at the graded level for his sire (by Awesome Again) and he is the 11th SW and fifth GSW out of a Quality Road dam. Sales history: $130,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record 3-3-0-0. O-D J Stable & Robert Cotran; B-Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O'Farrell III, David O'Farrell, et al (FL); T-Joe Orseno.

 

What a run from HADES, who wins the Holy Bull Stakes! pic.twitter.com/kfH8kqwZ1e

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 3, 2024

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