BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Multiple stakes-winner Lennilu leads a strong group of four Florida-breds into Saturday’s $100,000 Game Face at Gulfstream Park. A total of seven 3-year-old fillies will race six furlongs with Lennilu designated as the 8-5 morning line favorite.
Trained by Patrick Biancone for a large ownership group made up of Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkerson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farms, Maury Harrington and Christopher K. Harrington, Lennilu has won five of eight career starts including the $120,000 Melody of Colors going five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream on March 22. In one start since, she was fifth in the Grade 3 Limestone at five-and-a-half furlongs on the Keeneland turf on April 10.
“If she had a better trip, she may have finished fourth, but I don’t think she could have beaten the first three,” Biancone said. “I think they were too fast for her anyway.”
Lennilu makes only her third start on dirt and first since winning the $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream on September 6. She broke her maiden in her first career start over a sloppy four-and-a-half furlongs at Keeneland in April of last year.
“Don’t forget she broke her maiden easy on the dirt and she won [at Gulfstream] one time on dirt, too,” Biancone said. “We decided to take a shot on the dirt, and see where we are.”
She next won the $110,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies going five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf in May before going overseas for the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot where she was second to True Love.
In her only other races, she won the $75,000 Hollywood Beach at Gulfstream on September 27 and was seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint won by Cy Fair at Del Mar on October 31, both racing five furlongs on the grass.
Lennilu, an earner of $301,254, is by Leinster out of Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Pomeroy and was bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon of Morriston. She was a $23,000 purchase by Glencrest Farm out of the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale where she was consigned by Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm.
Jonathan Ocasio, who rode Lennilu in the Desert Vixen and Hollywood Beach, climbs back aboard Saturday and they have post two.
Multiple stakes-placed Florida-bred Love Like Lucy was third in last year’s Desert Vixen and tries to avenge that loss in the Game Face. A winner on debut in August of last year at Gulfstream, Love Like Lucy was also second in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl at seven furlongs in October and fourth in the $300,000 My Dear Girl going a mile-and-a-sixteenth in November, both at Guflstream.
Love Like Lucy looks to improve on a fourth-place finish in the $100,000 FHBPA Sophomore Fillies Sprint facing Florida-breds going six furlongs in her last start on April 25.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Love Like Lucy has earned $126,680 for MyRacehorse Thoroughbred Acquisition Group and Miller Racing. A $300,000 purchase by MyRacehourse and Joseph out of the Navas Equine consignment at last year’s OBS Spring Sale, Love Like Lucy has one win, two seconds and a third in seven starts.
She is by Ocala Stud’s Win Win Win out of Just Like Lucy, by Majesticperfection and was bred in Florida by the Brereton C. Jones.
Love Like Lucy is 9-2 on the morning line and will break from post six with Nik Juarez in the irons.
Florida-bred Willow Case, a two-time stakes winner at Gulfstream last year, is 12-1 in the program for trainer J. David Braddy.
The bay daughter of Neolithic, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions, won the $75,000 Sharp Susan over a sloppy six furlongs in her third career start then took the $75,000 Hallandale Beach going a mile in September.
Bred in Florida by Kenneth H. Davis of Summerfield and the late Sherry Mansfield, Willow Case is out of the Drosselmeyer mare Pillow Case. She has $136,460 in career earnings from three wins and a third in five starts for Michael Sucher’s Champion Equine based in Del Ray Beach, Florida.
Diego Herrera will ride Willow Case from post three and they are 12-1 in the program.
The fourth Florida-bred filly is Dakota’s Lil Auror, who makes her first start against added-money fillies since finishing third in the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream in November. In seven starts since, she has two seconds and three thirds including a runner-up finish against first condition allowance fillies bred in Florida going six-and-a-half furlongs on May 2.
Dakota’s Lil Auror is trained by Herbert Miller for Oliver Gray and looks to add to her career earnings of $89,213 from one win, two seconds and five thirds in 13 starts.
By Echo Town out of Mony’slittlegracie, by Alphabet Soup, Dakota’s Lil Auror was bred in Florida by Crystal Lanum of Lexington, Kentucky.
Jose Morelos rides Dakota’s Lil Auror from post four and they are listed at 20-1 on the morning line.
Completing the entries are Maxitas and jockey Miguel Vasquez, Canton with Rasheed Hughes in the saddle and Micah Husbands rides Late Night Text.
Return to the May 21 issue of Wire to Wire
