BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Two undefeated fillies in Ultimate Love and Ground Support will carry the Florida flag into Friday’s $1 million John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade 1) while multiple stakes-winner Lennilu represents Sunshine State breeders’ in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (Grade 1) on Friday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is Race 6 on the card with a post time of 5:45 p.m. ET while the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf is Race 8 with a post time of 7:05 p.m. ET. Both races will be televised on the USA Network, FanDuel TV and Peacock.
A field of 13 fillies are set to go a mile on the turf in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Ultimate Love drawing post one and Ground Support in breaking from post 11.
Live Oak Plantation homebred Ultimate Love has won all three starts including a four-length victory in the $125,000 Selima Stakes at Laurel Park on Sept. 27 in her last start.
Trained by Michael Trombetta, the chestnut daughter of Curlin won her first start on July 24, a one-mile maiden special weight on the grass at Colonial Downs; then romped in a first level, $62,500 optional claiming at Laurel on Sept. 5. Ultimate Love came from off the pace to win by six-and-three-quarters lengths going a mile on grass before winning the Selima at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf.
John Velazquez will ride Ultimate Love, who is 8-1 on the morning line.
A victory by Ultimate Love would give Live Oak Plantation three Breeders’ Cup victories having twice won the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) with half-brothers Miesque’s Approval in 2006 and World Approval in 2017.
Ultimate Love is out of Tsunami of Love, by Bernardini and has earned $146,400 in her three starts. Tsunami of Love will be selling as Hip 2291 (Book 4, Session 7) at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 4-11. She will be consigned by Warrendale Sales.
Florida-bred Ground Support – ©Tere Poplin/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders’ Cup
NBS Stable’s Ground Support is two-for-two in her career after taking the Grade 2 Miss Grillo by two lengths with jockey Adam Beschizza aboard during the Belmont at Big A meet on Oct. 4. Ground Support won the mile-and-a-sixteenth Miss Grillo while leading from the start but came from off the pace in her debut, winning a one-mile maiden special weight on the undulating turf course at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 30 at odds of 100-1.
Ground Support is trained by Kelsey Danner, who will keep Beschizza aboard for the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Ground Support is 15-1 on the morning line.
NBS Stable and John Ballantyne purchased Ground Support for $80,000 out of the Tom McCrocklin consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training in May. McCrocklin also consigned her at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-year-olds in training but she did not meet her reserve.
Ground Support is by Army Mule out of Arch Support, by Arch and was bred in Florida by Champion Equine LLC. She has earned $164,000 in her two races.
A dozen 2-year-olds are entered for the five-furlong Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with Lennilu set to break from post 12.
Florida-bred Lennilu – ©Tere Poplin/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders’ Cup
Lennilu is a winner of four of five career starts with her only loss coming when third behind winner True Love (Ire) in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot in Great Britian on June 18.
By Pleasant Acres Stallions’ leading freshman sire Leinster, Lennilu is trained by Patrick Biancone for Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing LLC, Tranquility Lake Farms LLC, Maury Harrington and Christopher K. Harrington.
Lennilu began her career in slop at Keeneland on April 6, winning a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight by a length. Biancone returned her to his base in South Florida where she made he first start on grass with a confident, three-and-three-quarters-length victory in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at five furlongs on May 10—earning an invitation and travel stipend to Royal Ascot.
After taking a three-month break following the Queen Mary, Lennilu won the $100,000 Desert Vixen, the six-furlong first leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes on the main track at Gulfstream on Sept. 6. She prepared for the Breeders’ Cup with a nearly two-length score in the $75,000 Hollywood Beach at five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park grass on Sept. 27.
Bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon, Lennilu is out of Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Pomeroy and has earned $206,489.
She was a $23,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale by Ciaran and Amy Dunne in the name of Glencrest Farm as a 26th birthday present for their daughter Caitlin.
Luis Saez, who rode Lennilu in her first two starts, will be aboard.
2025 Breeders’ Cup Florida-bred Contenders
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