Sandal’s Song, Lennilu Royal Ascot-bound after Royal Palm Juvenile wins

For the second time in the three-year history of the Royal Palm Juvenile S., trainer George Weaver sent out a colt to win his career debut in the Royal Ascot qualifier at Gulfstream Park. Sandal’s Song did the honors in Saturday’s $100,000 renewal, while odds-on Lennilu made it a perfect 2-for-2 in the fillies’ counterpart for Patrick Biancone. 

Both earned an automatic entry to any Royal Ascot two-year-old race of their choosing, plus $25,000 in travel expenses. 

Moreover, both winners sport Dunne family connections. Sandal’s Song is the latest success story for Dew Sweepers, a partnership involving Ciaran Dunne, who is well known for developing and selling juveniles via his Wavertree Stables. 

Among Dunne’s famous alumni is Leinster, the hot freshman sire responsible for Lennilu. Like sire Leinster himself, Lennilu races for a group including Amy Dunne, Ciaran’s wife. Now their daughter Caitlin is also part of Lennilu’s ownership consortium.

Royal Palm Juvenile

The Leinster/Dunne connection was prominent in the Royal Palm Juvenile too. Leinster’s son Squire, co-owned by Patrick L. Biancone Racing and Amy Dunne, was dispatched as the 9-10 favorite after capturing his debut on the Gulfstream dirt. But he wasn’t able to complete the stakes double begun by stablemate Lennilu. 

Squire flashed more speed than he did last time, arguing with familiar foe Beers on Me, the close second in their common maiden, through an opening quarter in :21.90. Sandal’s Song was slowest to break on the rail, but the 7.90-1 chance soon recovered to get within striking distance for Luca Panici. 

On the far turn, Sandal’s Song belied his inexperience by angling into a path between rivals. The son of Mendelssohn challenged entering the stretch and quickly put away Squire by the half in :44.50, with Beers on Me fading out of view. 

Sandal’s Song kicked 1 1/2 lengths clear, despite not changing leads, and he clocked five furlongs on the firm turf in :56.30. The chestnut rewarded his backers with $17.80 while depositing $49,000 in his new account.

Squire was easily best of the rest by 5 1/2 lengths from Arkadelphia, who headed Beers on Me for third. Next came Chasing My Dream, Win N Juice, I Think I Can, and Cadenced. There were several scratches –Tully Road (another Leinster for Biancone and Dunne), Fear, Ciborio, Fuzzy Stare, and the also-eligibles Skipping Stars and Hotter Than Dem.

Sandal’s Song was following the precedent set by Weaver’s No Nay Mets in the 2023 inaugural. No Nay Mets was likewise a graduate of Wavertree.

“I expected something special because I worked the horse,” Panici said. “I was confident. The trip was perfect. I think he has a very, very nice future.”

“Luca worked him out of the gate on the dirt up there (at Palm Beach Downs),” Weaver said. “He only went in :50 and change, and he said he was a nice horse. He worked No Nay Mets in :51 here and said the same thing.”

The rail draw wasn’t ideal, especially for a first-time starter. Weaver noted that cost his entrant in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, Royal Testament, who wound up sixth.

“I had the filly (Royal Testament) in the other race, and the one hole was a disadvantage for both of them although it affected her more than the colt,” the trainer added.

“He was able to get up in a nice position before they hit the turn. I don’t really hone on my first time starters. He’d done enough. I knew he was fast. Good horses go out there and do what they’re supposed to do. I never worked him on the grass, but he had some turf in his pedigree.”

Bred by Hunter Valley Farm and Tony Hegarty in Kentucky, Sandal’s Song was most recently sold for $75,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. His dam, the Munnings mare Sandal, is a three-quarter sister to two-time Bernard Baruch H. (G2) hero Qurbaan. 

“If he comes out of this race well, I’d like to take him there (to Ascot),” Weaver said. “I see no reason not to. I feel comfortable he’s the caliber who should go if he’s doing well.”

No Nay Mets didn’t turn in his best effort when ninth in the Norfolk (G2). Sandal’s Song hopes to fly the flag more effectively, like 2024 Royal Palm Juvenile winner Gabaldon, who was just denied in the Windsor Castle S. 

Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies

Lennilu put herself on the map, and Leinster on the board as a sire, with her April 6 debut victory in the Keeneland slop. Bet down to 4-5 favoritism on the switch to turf here, the gray rolled by an utterly dominant 3 3/4 lengths.

Luis Saez, who rode her at Keeneland, traveled down to Hallandale Beach, Florida, with a view toward continuing their partnership at Royal Ascot. Lennilu never gave him reason to second-guess that decision. She was also repaying a slew of new co-owners who came on board since her premiere, including Brenda Miley and Jean Wilkerson (both involved with Leinster), Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington, and Christopher J. Harrington.

Lennilu faced another Keeneland debut winner, Wesley Ward’s Satisfied Mind, but the clash was a mismatch. Pressing Satisfied Mind through an opening quarter in :22.03, Lennilu readily asserted rounding the far turn and opened up at will. She reached the half-mile in :45.25 and crossed the wire, in hand, in :56.99.

Bibi Dahl, the $1.35 million full sister to multiple Grade 2 star Forbidden Kingdom, did well to emerge all alone in second. Another 5 1/4 lengths back came a gaggle competing for third. The 90-1 Strada del Sogno earned the bronze by a nose from the 86-1 Authentic Guitar, who was a neck up on Bohemian in the bunched-up finish. Weaver’s Royal Testament, Kitty Cleo, Le Sunshine, Divinely Inspired, Satisfied Mind, and Just a Little Bit rounded out the order of finish. 

Nonna’s Love, the Caravaggio half-sister to champion Fierceness, was a vet scratch. Also withdrawn were Rumpus in Paradise and Emerald Ember (another Leinster with Biancone, owned by Dew Sweepers).

Lennilu has earned $81,615 from her two wins. She was bred in Florida by Helen Barbazon and Joseph Barbazon, who stand Leinster at their Pleasant Acres Stallions. Her dam, the Pomeroy mare Lulu’s Pom Pom, is a half-sister to Grade 2-winning millionaire Disco Partner, an erstwhile rival of Leinster.

“She’s a very nice filly,” Saez said. “She broke from there well, 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.”

“Luis loved her from the day he rode her at Keeneland,” Biancone said. “He said he wanted to ride her at Ascot, and I said, ‘Easy, we have to do one stop at Gulfstream first.’

“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.”

Now Lennilu will try to emulate the 2023 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies winner, Crimson Advocate, who landed the Queen Mary (G2) at the Royal meeting.