BY CYNTHIA MCFARLAND

O
CALA, FL—Florida-bred Lennilu walks into the starting gate of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (Grade 1) on Oct. 31 riding a wave of support.

Despite the obvious girl power behind the talented filly, it’s not just female connections cheering Lennilu. She comes into the race buoyed by a contingent of long-time horsemen who’ve been on board since her sire Leinster was a yearling.

With five races and four victories behind her, the well-traveled gray 2-year-old filly has already raced in two states and two countries, on dirt and turf against fillies and males.

Multiple stakes-winner Lennilu has $206,489 in earnings and is her sire’s top performer to date. Also among Leinster’s best offspring are multiple stakes-placed runners Squire ($116,720) and Monster ($93,391)—both Florida-breds.

Under the guidance of trainer Patrick Biancone, Lennilu debuted at Keeneland on April 6, winning a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight by a length on the main track.

Following that first race with Amy Dunne listed as the sole owner, Lennilu’s ownership ranks expanded to include Caitlin Dunne (Ciaran and Amy Dunne’s adult daughter), Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing LLC, Tranquility Lake Farms LLC, Maury Harrington and Christopher K. Harrington.

After her first start in Kentucky, Lennilu traveled back to her home state where she won the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies by a dominating three-and-three-quarters lengths at Gulfstream Park on May 10.

That victory earned her an automatic berth in a juvenile stakes at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet in Great Britain, as well as a $25,000 travel stipend. Lennilu and her owners jetted across the pond to Ascot where she ran a game third in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes won by True Love (Ire) on June 18.

Florida-bred Lennilu in the Queen Mary - ©Mathea Kelley

Florida-bred Lennilu in the FSS Desert Vixen - ©Lauren King

True Love has since become a multiple group winner and is a contender in this year’s $1 million John Deere Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) on Oct. 31.

Back in Florida, Lennilu captured the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen going six furlongs on the main track at Gulfstream Park on Sept 6. She then did her sire proud when produced a convincing victory in the $75,000 Leinster Hollywood Beach going five furlongs on the turf on Sept. 27 at Gulfstream Park where she defeated males, winning by a length-and-three-quarters.

Jockey Jonathan Ocasio has been in the irons for two of her stakes wins, while Luis Saez was aboard for her races in the Royal Palm and at Royal Ascot.

“The greatest thing about Lennilu is the people involved. The Wilkinsons and Mileys have been involved since we bought Leinster, and obviously, it’s very special to have our daughter involved. To have Patrick Biancone training her and directing the ship makes Lennilu all the more special for us,” Ciaran Dunne noted.

Another fun twist to the story is that Patrick Biancone also trained Pomeroy, the sire of the filly’s dam, LuLu’s Pom Pom.

How Lennilu found herself in such good hands goes back to before she was conceived.

Solid Start

A Louisville native, Amy Fust started out with backyard ponies before becoming an exercise rider and breaking yearlings. 

Amy graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in Equine Business Administration. She also worked for bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, which she says was a great learning experience. 

A native of Kildare, Ciaran emigrated to the U.S. in 1987 having graduated from the Irish National Stud’s prestigious Thoroughbred Breeding management course.

Ciaran and Amy met in Kentucky. They moved to Ocala in 1994 and worked with top consignors before establishing their own operation, Wavertree Stables. After they married in 1997, Amy was happy to keep riding their young horses until daughter Caitlin came along in 1998.

Amy Dunne - Photo Courtesy: Amy Dunne

Ciaran Dunne – ©Judit Seipert

Wavertree Stables offers full-service breaking and training for sales and races. Since its launch in 1995, the operation has consistently been among the leading consignors of 2-year-olds. Graduates include Grade 1 winners such as Hot Rod Charlie, Colonel Liam, Country Grammer, Bellafina and more.

In 2025, Wavertree Stables ranks second on the list of juvenile consignors for North American sales, having sold 78 horses for a total of $17,456,000 and an average of $223,795.

At the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling sale, they bought an $85,000 Majestic Warrior colt to pinhook. Signing the ticket as Taconic Bloodstock, Ciaran and Amy bought Leinster with the Mileys, Westrock Stables LLC and the Wilkinsons as partners.

The Dunnes were already familiar with the colt’s family. Wavertree sold Leinster’s half-brother, Stormy Liberal, who became a two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner and the 2018 Eclipse Award Champion Turf Male.

The intention was to sell Leinster as a 2-year-old. When he was a $75,000 RNA at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, the partners decided to race him.

Leinster became a four-time graded stakes winner of $764,971. He set two track records in graded events and posted four triple digit Beyer Speed Figures.

When Leinster’s race career ended, the partners felt they owed him a chance at stud. Standing him in Florida was an easy decision so they chose Pleasant Acres because they knew how well the operation markets its stallions.

“Amy and I planned on supporting him with mares, so we wanted the access of having him here in Florida,” Ciaran said. 

“Pleasant Acres is very aggressive in the way they promote their horses. Owners Joe and Helen Barbazon and Christine Jones (director of stallion services) were believers in the horse. We thought they would give him the best opportunity,” Ciaran said.

Joe and Helen Barbazon bred a number of their own mares to Leinster, including LuLu’s Pom Pom, the dam of Lennilu.

“Standing a stallion is probably the hardest thing you can do. It is hope, but it’s more hope than expectation,” Ciaran added. “Leinster has been supported by the right people all along. They aren’t supporting him because of us, but because they believe in the horse.”

“We had high hopes for him, and he’s been really solid all the way through. The fact that he’s had three stakes horses so far and a filly the caliber of Lennilu, that’s what you hope for. We’re big believers in the horse and will continue to support him as we go forward,” Amy said.

First Crop

When Leinster’s first crop hit the ground in 2023, the partners felt confident in their decision to make him a stallion. That was reaffirmed with the sale of a $150,000 filly at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Sale of New York-bred Yearlings at Saratoga.

“It’s hard to be unbiased, but we were very happy when we started seeing his first foals. They were very uniform. Leinster is a beautiful horse himself; he has a good hip and a great shoulder on him, and he threw that. In some ways, his foals all look like him. As a group they’ve been very solid and they’ve been very popular in the sales ring,” Ciaran said.

If the Dunnes were excited by the looks of Leinster’s first crop, they grew even more optimistic when they began breaking and training them as yearlings. “As soon as we started doing fast work with them, it was obvious they were going to be fast,” Ciaran noted. 

“This time last year, other pinhookers who had Leinsters were telling us how much they liked them. When you see people like Tom McCrocklin, Dave McKathan and Susan Montayne talking about the Leinsters they have, you know it’s for real,” he said.

“Then in January, the 2-year-old guys were booking mares to him. When they started supporting him in the breeding shed that showed it wasn’t just talk. They really believed in him.”

Off to the Races

Lennilu was one of the first Leinsters to go through the sales ring. Ciaran and Amy knew that some of the partners in the stallion wanted to buy yearlings to support him.

The plan was to buy several at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed sale, which is where Lennilu was purchased under the name Glencrest Farm for $23,000 from the Abbie Road Farm consignment.

“My dad called me on my 26th birthday, Jan. 23, and said he got me a birthday present. He said, ‘I bought you a Leinster!’” recalled Caitlin Dunne, who was surprised since her parents had bred some of their own mares to Leinster. Then her father added further details about the gray filly.

“She was hip number 26 and her dam is a half-sister to Disco Partner who Leinster beat in the Troy (G3) when he set the track record at Saratoga. [Disco Partner is a multiple graded stakes winner of $1.4 million]. It was a lot of coincidences and the stars aligned,” Caitlin said.

Naming the filly was a no-brainer. When Leinster was racing, “Lennilu” was Caitlin’s nickname for him. And of course, the filly’s dam is LuLu’s Pom Pom. 

Caitlin and her husband Riley Ward, son of trainer Wesley Ward, live in Lexington. Caitlin works as director of experiences and strategic partnerships for MyRacehorse, which offers micro shares in high-end racehorses so everyday fans can be part of the ownership. 

Caitlin, who still races under her maiden name, couldn’t be happier with Lennilu’s juvenile season.

“I don’t think any of us could have imagined she’d have done as much as she has to this point. I grew up very close with my parents and I’m so proud of what they’ve done. To get to do this together has been so much fun,” Caitlin said.

“Lennilu has quite the fan club. She’s been the gift that keeps on giving,” Amy added.

It would be tough to write a better story than Lennilu’s career thus far. The perfect finale to her 2-year-old season would be a win in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) on Friday, Oct. 31, when Breeders’ Cup weekend kicks off at Del Mar.

Return to the October 22 issue of Wire to Wire

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