Filly is first stakes winner for Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Leinster

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred Lennilu was impressive in her first start, winning a maiden special weight at Keeneland on April 6 then stepped up her game again with a convincing victory in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Owned by Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing LLC, Tranquility Lake Farm LLC, Maury Harrington and Christopher K. Harrington, Lennilu earns an automatic berth into one of six juvenile stakes during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in June, plus a $25,000 travel stipend.

Sent postward as the 4-5 favorite in the field of 11 2-year-old fillies going five furlongs on the turf in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, Lennilu and jockey Luis Saez broke best of all from post five before relinquishing the lead to Satisfied Mind, a three-and-a-quarter-length winner in her debut at Keeneland on April 16. Racing on the rail as the 5-2 second choice, Satisfied Mind and Emisael Jaramillo had a half-length on Lennilu into the first turn after a rapid :22.03 first quarter mile with Florida-bred Le Sunshine third on the outside.

Lennilu and Le Sunshine went by Satisfied Mind approaching the quarter-mile marker before Lennilu hastened to a clear advantage at the top of the stretch then continued to pull away. Approaching the finish, Saez relaxed on Lennilu before she cruised under the wire to win by three-and-three-quarters lengths in :56.99 on the firm turf. Bibi Dahl was second with Strada Del Sogno was another five-and-a-quarter farther lengths back, winning a photo finish for third with Authentic Guitar, Bohemian and Royal Testament. Kitty Cleo (Ire), Le Sunshine, Divinely Inspired, Satisfied Mind and Just a Little Bit completed the order of finish.

Florida-bred Emerald Ember, Nonna’s Love 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.”

Trained by Patrick Biancone, Lennilu paid $3.60 to win.

“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. 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.”

“On one hand we were very confident because all of the horses she beat at Keeneland, they won their next start. But that made me anxious too.”

 

 

In her Keeneland race, Lennilu won by a length ahead of Kadabra in second with Chambourcin third. Kadabra won her next race against special weight maiden fillies at Aqueduct on May 3 while Chambourcin won her next start against special weight maiden fillies at Churchill Downs on May 8.

“But she’s a baby. She will learn,” Biancone continued. “She was a little bit green coming into the stretch. But she’s learning and hopefully, she’ll be even better in six weeks.”

Lennilu now has two wins in two starts and the $47,500 first-place check increased her earnings to $81,615. She was a $23,000 purchase by Glencrest Farm at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Winter Mixed Sale where she was consigned by Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm.
(Lennilu’s OBS Sale Page)

She was the first winner and is now first stakes-winner for freshman sire Leinster, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions. Lennilu is out of Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Pomeroy, and was bred by Helen and Joseph Barbazon.

Return to the May 10 issue of Wire to Wire