By Chris Duncan
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Trainer Jason Orman stood in a light drizzle Friday morning at Churchill Downs, waiting for his cell phone to ring.

His colt, Rock Hard Ten, is the 3-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's one-mile Derby Trial, but could be scratched if principal owner Ernie Moody decides to try for next week's Kentucky Derby.

"I'm leaving it up to the owners," Orman said. "You don't get too many chances to run in the Derby, so if they want to wait and do that, I can understand that."

Moody had not made a decision by late Friday afternoon.

"Your guess is probably as good as mine," Moody said in a telephone interview.

The decision could be a risky one, though. Rock Hard Ten does not have enough graded earnings to qualify for the Derby and would need at least four defections to enter.

Both Orman and Moody said they probably would not run the colt in both the Trial and the Derby. If the horse misses both races, they'll aim the colt for the Preakness on May 15.

For now, all Orman can do is wait.

Rock Hard Ten has been at Churchill Downs for two weeks. The colt finished second in the Santa Anita Derby but was dropped to third after stewards ruled he blocked another horse's path.

The penalty cost the horse $60,000, enough to already have secured the No. 21 spot on the graded earnings list. The top 20 qualify for the Kentucky Derby, but even a win in the $100,000 added Trial probably would leave Rock Hard Ten at No. 21.

But it would accomplish one thing, reducing the necessary defections should Orman and Moody decide to put Rock Hard Ten in the Derby field.

"We feel we have a tremendous horse," Moody said. "But it's not like we're on some crusade to get him into all these big races. We just want to see what he can do."

Not knowing when the colt will run next has tested the patience of the 35-year-old Orman.

"It's pretty frustrating, just sitting and waiting, especially when you have a horse that you think can compete in the race," he said.

The Derby Trial was created in 1924 as a Derby prep, although it rarely serves as one now.

Five colts have swept the Trial and the Derby, but none since Tim Tam in 1958. The last horse to run in both races was Alydavid, in 1991.

Even if enough horses dropped out of the Derby field, Orman said his colt would have to rout the field in the Trial for him to even consider running him next week.

"He would have to win so easily," Orman said.

The rest of the six-horse Trial field includes the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Quick Action, Nick Zito trainee Sir Shackleton, Lafayette Stakes winner Bwana Charlie, Honolua Storm and the Bob Baffert-trained Courageous Act.

Bwana Charlie, trained by Steve Asmussen, is unbeaten in three starts this year and is the 3-1 second choice in the morning line.