Lennilu romps in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies under Luis Saez (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Lennilu, owned by Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington, punched her ticket to Royal Ascot in impressive fashion, overcoming some early trouble to romp by 3 ¾ lengths as the favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park.
The Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies co-headlined the program with the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile, both sprinting five furlongs on the grass. Each race winner earns an automatic berth in one of six juvenile stakes during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in mid-June, plus a $25,000 travel stipend.
“The plan is Royal Ascot as long as she is healthy and everything goes right,” winning trainer Patrick Biancone said. “But I don’t see why it would be a problem.”
With two-time Championship Meet leading rider Luis Saez in town for the race, Lennilu ($3.60) completed the distance in 56.99 seconds over a firm turf course. It was her second race following a one-length debut triumph going 4 ½ furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track April 6 at Keeneland.
“Luis loved her from the day he rode her at Keeneland. He said he wanted to ride her at Ascot and I said, ‘Easy, we have to do one stop at Gulfsteam first,’” Biancone said. “She’s a machine. She’s very relaxed. She traveled to Keeneland, it was bad weather. She shed-rowed two days, jogged one day and ran like a monster,” Biancone said. “The father [Leinster] was a very good sprinter on turf so I had a lot of confidence in her coming into this race. The plan all along was to get to Ascot. That’s why so many partners joined in for that trip.”
Saturday’s race saw Wesley Ward-trained Satisfied Mind, a 3 ¼-length winner of her April 16 unveiling at Keeneland, break running and establish the early lead after an opening quarter-mile in 22.03 seconds. Lennilu, who bumped with Satisfied Mind at the break, pressed in second joined by 50-1 longshot Le Sunshine to her immediate outside in third.
The half-mile went in 45.25 seconds as Lennilu came off the far turn racing two wide to take over the top spot and powered through the lane to separate from her rivals while under a hold from Saez. Bibi Dahl, a $1.35 million yearling making her first start, got up for second, 3 ¾ lengths ahead of Strada Del Sogno in third.
Authentic Guitar, Bohemian, Royal Testament, Kitty Cleo, Le Sunshine, Divinely Inspired, Satisfied Mind and Just a Little Bit completed the order of finish. Nonna’s Love, Emerald Ember and Rumpus in Paradise were scratched.
“She’s a very nice filly,” Saez said. “She broke from there well [and] put herself in a good position. At the top of the stretch she was a little green first time on turf, but she’s got a lot of ability. I had a lot of horse at the end. I was pretty confident after I rode at Keeneland. She won that race very professionally. I had a lot of horse left that day, too. Now I’m looking forward to going to Ascot. That’s why we came here today.”
The connections are hoping to follow in the footsteps of inaugural Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies winner Crimson Advocate, who used the race as a steppingstone to victory in the 2023 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot for trainer George Weaver and jockey John Velazquez.
“We were on the one hand very confident, because all the horses she beat at Keeneland won their next start, but that makes you a bit anxious, too,” Biancone said. “She’s a baby, but she will learn. She was a little bit green coming to the stretch, but she’s learning and, hopefully, she’ll be even better in six weeks.”
