BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–Amy Dunne and partners’ Lennilu has returned home to trainer Patrick Biancone’s stable at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, no worse for the wear in the aftermath of her seventh-place finish in the $920,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (Grade 1) Oct. 31 at Del Mar.

“She’s good. She’s sound,” Biancone said. “She just wasn’t fast enough, but we’ll do better next year.”

The 2-year-old daughter of Leinster, who stands in Florida-bred at Pleasant Acres Stallions, was forwardly placed while racing three-wide in the five-furlong turf sprint before coming up short against the boys.

“We’re going to send her to the farm for 30 days to relax and take a vacation. Then, we’ll prepare for next year,” Biancone said.

Lennilu put her first-year sire on the map during a juvenile campaign that included a victory over Gulfstream’s turf course in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies that earned her a berth in the Queen Mary (Group 2) at Royal Ascot, where she finished third. She then returned to Gulfstream, where she made a winning dirt debut in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen before prepping for the Breeders’ Cup by beating males on turf in the $75,000 Hollywood Beach.

Lennilu is out of Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Pomeroy and was bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon. She earned $216,489 in winning four of six races with one third.

 Classic of Course Returns Sans Blinkers in Awesome Banner

Biancone will saddle Florida-bred Classic of Course in Saturday’s $70,000 Awesome Banner overnight handicap for six 3-year-olds and older going one mile at Gulfstream.

Classic of Course has been productive enough during his 14-race career that the 3-year-old gelding has been assigned co-highweight of 122 pounds for Saturday’s feature. 

Yet, confident that Classic of Course has more to offer, Biancone is not content to stand pat. Blinkers will be removed for the son of Awesome of Course owned by Biancone with Amy E. Dunne. 

“He was a little bit too keen last time,” said Biancone, who equipped Classic of Course with blinkers in February due to his tendency to lean in on horses. Biancone now believes that his gelding’s on-track behavior has improved enough to take off the hood.

Classic of Course, who had success while racing on turf or synthetic in his five previous starts, returned to the main track to take on older horses in the $70,000 Mr. Jordan overnight handicap on Oct. 18. He made a late run at pacesetter and eventual winner Con Compania (Chi) before flattening out, finishing three lengths back in third. In his previous start, he won a mile-and-70-yard on the all-weather course, three starts after capturing the $158,000 Cutler Bay racing seven-and-a-half furlongs on turf at Gulfstream in March.

 

“I think he’s a nice horse. Nice horses have a tendency to do everything well,” Biancone said. “But I think at the end of the day, dirt could be his surface.”

Jonathan Ocasio has the return call on Classic of Course who is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line. Classic of Course has drawn post five.

Wolf Pack Racing’s Steppe, who has recorded two victories over older rivals in two of his last three starts, will carry equal weights with Classic of Course while conceding between three and six pounds to the other four entrants.

The Bobby Dibona-trained son of Sky Mesa captured an first condition, $25,000 optional claiming going a mile on Aug. 2 before scoring a front-running victory in the $70,000 Duke of Mischief overnight handicap going a mile on a sloppy and sealed track on Sept. 20. Last time out on Oct. 18, Steppe set the pace in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming at seven furlongs before coming up a length short of winner Pure Class while finishing second against older horses.

Leading rider Miguel Vasquez has the return call on the gelding who was claimed for $50,000 during the past Championship Meet. Steppe is 9-5 in the program and will start from post six.

Lawson Racing Stables’ Florida-bred Roar of the Beast, fourth behind Steppe in the Duke of Mischief, will carry 119 pounds, including Edgard Zayas, in the Awesome Banner.

The Saffie Joseph Jr trainee, who carried one more pound than Steppe in their last meeting, defeated that rival by more than 12 lengths while winning a first condition $75,000 optional claiming going a mile in June.

Roar of the Beast in 4-1 on the morning line and has post four.

Stonehedge LLC homebred Keep on Moving, a Michael Yates-trained son of Stonehedge Farm South stallion Cajun Breeze who is coming off a victory in an first level, $25,000 optional claiming for Florida-breds; Khrysselv Mavarez’s McKellen, a Jose D’Angelo-trained son of McKinzie who finished fifth in his most recent start in the $145,000 Bay Shore on April 19 at Aqueduct; and Teresa and David Palmer’s Florida-bred Nothingsubtle, a Nicholas Palmer-trained son of Echo Town who finished a length-and-three-quarters behind Keep on Moving after running into traffic late; round out the field.   

Return to the November 6 issue of Wire to Wire