Lennilu Remains Undefeated on Dirt in Game Face

Multiple-Stakes Winner on Turf Placed First by DQ
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Lennilu, a multiple-stakes winner on turf, established herself as a multiple-stakes winner on dirt Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The versatile 3-year-old daughter of Leinster, who campaigns for an ownership group headed by Amy E. Dunne, actually finished second in the $100,000 Game Face, but was placed first upon the disqualification of first-place finisher Love Like Lucy following a stewards’ review of the stretch run of the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

The Patrick Biancone-trained 2-5 favorite rated in third while saving ground before responding when asked by jockey Jonathan Ocasio leaving the far turn and straightening into the stretch, where she loomed between the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained duo of Love Like Lucy and Canton. Lennilu’s progress would be stopped as Love Like Lucy drifted out, closing the gap between her and her stablemate. Lennilu was shifted to the outside and she put in a late run to fall just a neck short of catching Love Like Lucy.

“She’s just a fighter. She likes to fight. Even when you bump her, she keeps coming,” Biancone said. “She’s very brave. She’s 3-for-3 on the dirt and hopefully she can improve. I think when we go a bit longer, like seven furlongs, she’ll be better.”

Lennilu, who is 5-for-5 at Gulfstream with her only three career losses coming in graded stakes on turf out of town, ran six furlongs in 1:10.90.

“She came out running. They took my spot where I wanted to be, so I just sat on her and she’s a good filly. She responded to everything. I just waited for the best moment and in the stretch I tried to do the best I could. It got a little close there, but we got it,” said Ocasio, whose mount finished 2 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Canton.

Love Like Lucy, who was racing without blinkers for the first time since she finished third behind Lennilu in last fall’s FTBOA Susan’s Girl, broke alertly under Nic Juarez and was always a factor.

“I thought there was pressure from both sides. You have to accept the decisions,” Joseph said. “She did run huge. It’s hard to see her run like that and get DQ’d but there’s nothing you can do.”

Lennilu kicked off her career with a debut victory at 4 ½ furlongs on dirt at Keeneland last spring before notching a 3 ¾-length score in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a five-furlong turf stakes at Gulfstream that offered the winner automatic entry into one of six stakes during Great Britain’s Royal Ascot meeting.

After finishing third in the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot, she returned to Gulfstream and to dirt to capture Desert Vixen, the six-furlong first leg of the FTBOA Sire Stakes series. A return to turf resulted in a victory over the boys in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach, which served as a prep for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, in which she finished seventh behind victorious Cy Fair. She won her 2026 campaign with a victory in the five-furlong Melody of Colors on turf at Gulfstream before finishing fifth last time out in the Limestone (G3) on turf at Keeneland.

“I think we have same race here in about a month, if she wins that maybe we may go to a big race,” Biancone said.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6, unsolved for five racing days following multiple mandatory payouts of $9,615.54 May 10, is estimated to have its jackpot pool reach $150,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:50 p.m.

Sunday’s sequence spans Races 4-9, includes a trio of optional claiming allowance events and is capped by a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up in the finale. C2 Racing Stable’s Grade 3-placed 9-year-old Mish chases a 13th career victory in his 41st start in Race 5 sprinting 6 ½ furlongs on the main track. The 9-5 program favorite is 2-for-4 this year with both wins coming during the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

Race 7 going one mile and 70 yards on the all-weather Tapeta drew a field of eight 3-year-olds and up including Arabia Wild, a sophomore Gun Runner colt racing second time off a $50,000 claim for trainer Gustavo Delgado; Caller, first or second in seven of 12 lifetime starts; and Knoty Knicks, stakes-placed on turf with a win in two tries over the synthetic.

Mish’s 4-year-old Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemate Indy Bay, whose two stakes wins include last summer’s Charles Town Oaks (G2), headlines Race 8 for fillies and mares 3 and up cutting back to seven furlongs after exiting a runner-up finish as the favorite in the one-mile Mo Green overnight handicap April 18. Charlie’s Wish, a stakes winner on turf, dirt and synthetic, returns to the main track where the 6-year-old mare owns a record of 3-4-3 from 13 starts.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. On mandatory payout days, the entire pool is disbursed to the bettor or bettors holding tickets with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

Note: Royal Palm Meet leading jockey Samy Camacho registered a Saturday hat trick aboard Operation Torch ($9.20) in Race 3, Spy Novel ($12.40) in Race 4 and World Traveler ($6.40) in Race 6.