As excitement builds for Royal Ascot, Lennilu—a rising juvenile star from the Patrick Biancone stable—is preparing to make waves on the international stage. On Sunday morning, the unbeaten filly breezed through a half-mile workout at Palm Meadows Training Center, showing sharpness and readiness ahead of her Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes appearance on June 18.
The daughter of Leinster earned her ticket to Ascot with a decisive win in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies on May 10 at Gulfstream Park. Her most recent breeze clocked in at 50.25 seconds, and trainer Patrick Biancone couldn’t be more pleased with her progress. With a team of dedicated owners behind her, Lennilu is set to board a flight to the UK on Tuesday.
In just two starts, Lennilu has proven her versatility. She made a strong debut at Keeneland in April with a front-running win on dirt and followed it up with an impressive turf performance at Gulfstream. Her adaptability and speed have caught the attention of bookmakers, who now list her among the favorites for the Queen Mary.
Her connections are eyeing the same juvenile double pulled off by Crimson Advocate in 2023—winning both the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and the Queen Mary at Ascot. Should Lennilu succeed, she’ll join a growing list of U.S.-based juveniles making an international impact. Meanwhile, trainer George Weaver is also set for another Royal Ascot run, this time with Royal Palm Juvenile winner Sandal’s Song in the Norfolk Stakes.
Back home at Gulfstream, the action continues to heat up. The Thursday Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated at $150,000 after the multi-race wager went unclaimed for five straight cards. The sequence will include a turf sprint for Florida-bred fillies and mares in Race 5, where Travel Happy will look to bounce back after her recent second-place effort.
The Rainbow 6 continues to attract bettors with its unique structure—paying out the full pool only when one ticket correctly selects all six winners. On other days, the pot is split among the most successful tickets, with a portion rolling over.
In other highlights from Sunday’s card, Lure Him In captured the $70,000 Wildcat Red overnight handicap. The seasoned 8-year-old gelding delivered another gritty performance under top weight, stopping the clock at 1:43.05 for the 1 1/16-mile event. Also on the program, XY Speed notched his 16th career win in a turf sprint, finishing in a blazing 54.78 seconds with jockey Emisael Jaramillo aboard.
As Gulfstream Park thrives with competitive action and emerging stars like Lennilu capture headlines, the summer racing season is shaping up to be one to remember.
