HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Several potential starters for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby got in their final works for the race on Friday, including Hades and Fierceness, who finished first and third, respectively, in the Grade 3 Holy Bull earlier this winter. At Gulfstream Park, Hades open-galloped a half-mile before breezing another easy half-mile in 50.21 seconds over a dry and very cuppy racetrack while finishing into a stiff headwind down the stretch. His regular work rider, Ray Ganpath, was in the saddle. “We planned on going Saturday, but we knew what we were facing with the weather,” trainer Joe Orseno explained, referring to the rain that began falling shortly after training hours here this morning and which was expected to last into Saturday. “I had Ray break him at the mile pole and two-minute lick the first half-mile and come home in 50. He took him out in the middle of the racetrack down the stretch because that was the best place to be over the track here this morning. It was exactly what I was looking for. We are ready. All systems are go. We have done all we had to do.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2024: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Fierceness, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and reigning 2-year-old champion, finished a disappointing third, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Hades, as the 1-5 favorite in the Holy Bull. He put a punctuation mark on a strong series of works coming out of that race, going four furlongs in 47.43 in company with Be You before dawn on Friday at the Palm Meadows training center per Daily Racing Form clocker David Norton. He completed his final quarter in 22.31 on Norton’s watch before galloping out five-eighths in 1:00.63 with his regular rider, John Velazquez, aboard. Frankie’s Empire, who won the seven-furlong Swale before finishing third, just two lengths behind Dornoch, in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, also worked at Gulfstream on Friday. He went in company with stablemate Fiona’s Magic, winner of the Grade 2 Davona Dale here earlier this month and likely to be one of the favorites in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on the Florida Derby undercard. The Michael Yates-trained stablemates covered four furlongs in 48.03 over the dull track, with Frankie’s Empire holding a slight edge to the wire after which the pair continued out five-eighths on even terms under some urging in 1:01.63. Spring-summer stakes A total of 40 stakes worth $4.245 million in purses will be decided during the upcoming Royal Palm and Sunshine meets, track management announced earlier this week. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The Royal Palm session, which goes from April 4 through Sept. 1, will get off to a quick start with the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, to be decided at five furlongs over the turf on May 11, both offering automatic berths in one of the six juvenile races to be run at the 2024 Royal Ascot meet. The Sunshine session, run Sept. 6 through Nov. 24, will be highlighted by the Princess Rooney on Sept. 11, the Grade 3 fixture once again a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar. The meet also will feature the opening two legs of the rich Florida Sire Series for 2-year-olds. The $100,000 Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen Stakes will be run at six furlongs on Sept. 7, and the $200,000 Affirmed and Susan’s Girl go at seven panels on Oct. 19. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.