HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – For trainer Patrick Biancone, the goal from before Lennilu had even made her first start was to try to get the promising filly to Royal Ascot via the automatic entry route offered by Gulfstream Park for a victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Filly Stakes. A goal he, jockey Luis Saez, and her large ownership group realized after the speedy Lennilu cruised to a popular 3 3/4-length victory over the $1.35 million yearling purchase Bibi Dahl in the five-furlong turf dash for 2-year-old fillies.
Lennilu was one of only three members of the 11-horse field with previous racing experience. Having rallied to a one-length maiden special weight victory going 4 1/2 furlongs over a sloppy track under Saez five weeks earlier at Keeneland.
Backed to 4-5 off that performance with Saez aboard once again, Lennilu broke well to contest the early pace with Satisfied Mind, who also won at first asking this spring at Keeneland, and longshot Le Sunshine. Lennilu readily disposed of that pair leaving the turn, settled into the stretch with a comfortable advantage and was never menaced thereafter while reined in a bit by Saez nearing the wire.
Bibi Dahl, a daughter of American Pharoah and a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Forbidden Kingdom, raced well placed and finished willingly to easily be second best before galloping out in impressive fashion into the clubhouse turn. Strada Del Sogno, the longest price on the board at 90-1, slipped along the rail to out-finish the 86-1 Authentic Guitar to be third.
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Satisfied Mind hampered her rider trying to get out on the turn, plummeting through the field down the lane to finish next to last.
Lennilu completed the distance over a firm course in 56.99 seconds and returned $3.60.
“She’s a machine,” Biancone said after the race. “She’s very relaxed. She travelled to Keeneland, it was bad weather, she shed rowed two days, jogged one day and ran like a monster. The father was a very good sprinter on turf so I had a lot of confidence in her coming into the race. The plan all along was to get to Ascot. That’s why so many partners joined in. For that trip.”
And Biancone said he had no trouble convincing Saez to take a day out of his normal schedule up north to return to South Florida to keep his regular seat aboard Lennilu.
“Luis loved her from the day he rode her at Keeneland,” said Biancone. “He said 'I want to ride her at Ascot after that race.' And I said ‘easy, we have to do one stop at Gulfstream first.'”
The next stop now for Lennilu is Ascot.
Sandal's Song takes Royal Palm Juvenile
Trainer George Weaver will be heading back to Royal Ascot for a second time after his Sandal’s Song overcame a slow start to upset Biancone’s 4-5 favorite Squire by 1 1/2 lengths to capture the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes. Weaver had swept the inaugural editions of both the Royal Palm Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies two years earlier with No Nay Mets and Crimson Advocate, the latter using that victory as a stepping-stone to winning the Grade 2 Queen Mary the following month at Ascot.
Sandal’s Song was slowest to begin breaking from the rail before recovering to gain striking position in the run down the backstretch. Sandal’s Song angled out three-wide while full of run midway the turn, joined the leaders in early stretch before edging clear under vigorous urging from jockey Luca Panici approaching the wire.
Squire, who narrowly defeated Beers On Me when the pair debuted in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight dash here last month, engaged in a torrid pace duel with that rival from the outset of the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile. The pair continued head to head upon settling into the stretch, Squire again winning that battle before ultimately proving no match for Sandal’s Song in the end. It was another 5 1/2 lengths farther back to third place finisher Arkadelphia.
Sandal’s Song a son of Mendelssohn owned by Dew Sweepers, ran the distance in 56.30 and returned $17.80.
“I had the filly [Royal Testament who finished a slow starting sixth] in the other race [Juvenile Fillies] and the one hole was a disadvantage for both of them although it affected her more than the colt,” Weaver noted. “He was able to get up in a nice position before they hit the turn. I don’t really hone on my first time starters. He’d done enough. I knew he was fast. Good horses go out there and do what they’re supposed to do.”
Weaver said he had confidence in Sandal’s Song even though he had never worked him on the turf prior to the race.
“The course was a bit soft at Palm Beach Downs so I didn’t work him on the grass, but he had some turf in his pedigree,” Weaver explained. “Luca worked him out of the gate on the dirt up there in 50 and change and he said he was a nice horse. He worked No Nay Mets in 51 and change here for me before winning this race two years ago and said the same thing. If he comes out of this race well, I’d like to take him there [Ascot]. I see no reason not to. I feel comfortable he’s the caliber who should go if he’s doing well.”
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