Leparoux Returns to Gulfstream to Ride Biancone Favorites

Redland Rebels Exits Derby Trail for Saturday’s English Channel
‘Big Baby’ Laigina Ready to Fire in Honey Ryder Co-Feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Trainer Patrick Biancone, who brought Julien Leparoux from France to the U.S. in 2005, is bringing the recently announced 2026 George Woolf Award winner to Gulfstream Park Saturday to ride a pair of morning-line favorites in the $100,000 English Channel and $100,000 Honey Ryder.

Leparoux, who is being honored for his high personal and professional standards that he has demonstrated throughout his career, has been named to ride Calypso Racing Stables LLC’s Redland Rebels in the English Channel, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, and Green With MV Stable and Biancone’s Laigina in the Honey Ryder, a mile turf stakes for sophomore fillies.

Leparoux ventured from his native France to serve as an exercise rider for Biancone in 2005 to prepare for his riding career. During Leparoux’s 2006 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice campaign, Biancone, who has known the 43-year-old jockey since he was a pre-teen in France, gave him a leg up on his first graded-stakes winner, Man of Illusion, for his victory in the Aegon Turf Sprint (G3) at Churchill Downs. Leparoux also notched his first Grade 1 success aboard Biancone-trained Gorella in the Beverly D. (G1) at Arlington Park later in that 403-win season.

“And the rest is history,” Biancone said of his former protégé, who has gone on to ride the winners of more than 4,000 races and $270 million in purses.

Redland Rebels, a Triple Crown nominee who finished fourth after setting the pace in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and sixth after setting the pace in the Arkansas Derby (G1), returns to turf in the English Channel.

“He ran well. He just wasn’t good enough,” Biancone said. “We gave it a try.”

The gelded son of Uncle Chuck, who finished a late-closing fourth on dirt in his debut, encouraged Biancone to put him on the Road to the Kentucky Derby after scoring a front-running 6 ¾-length maiden victory on turf and coming up just a neck short of victory while finishing second after setting the pace in the Kitten’s Joy, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds on turf.

“I don’t think he needs the lead,” Biancone said. “In his last two works, we put him behind to teach him to relax. He liked that too.”

Redland Rebels has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine that includes Baalbek Corp.’s Wayne’s Law, who is rated second at 3-1 for his first start on turf. The Amador Sanchez-trained son of Tiz the Law is a stakes winner on dirt who finished second behind Kentucky Derby (G1) morning-line favorite Renegade in the Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and fifth behind Commandment in the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream. Marcos Meneses has the call on Wayne’s Law.

After finishing off the board on dirt in her first two starts last fall, Laigina instantly demonstrated a distinct fondness for turf while registering a front-running 2 ¾-length maiden victory at 7 ½-furlongs. The daughter of Leinster put up a great fight in the mile Ginger Brew in her nest start while finishing second behind Sister Troienne, whom Brian Lynch saddled for three consecutive stakes victories on turf during the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

“She’s going to be a star in a few months. She’s not even a 3-year-old. She was born the 23rd of May,” Biancone said. “She’s a very big horse. She looks like a 4-year-old and she’s not even 3. She’s still a baby and still learning. We expect her to run very good this time.”

Laigina is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of nine up-and-coming fillies assembled for the Honey Ryder. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be represented by Peachtree Stable’s Spirit Doll, who won her turf debut by 6 ½ lengths in the mile Our Dear Peggy at Gulfstream before finishing fourth and fifth against graded-stakes rivals in her two most recent starts; and Almost Heaven Stables’ Barakah, a daughter of Speightstown who will make her turf and stakes debuts after scoring an impressive debut victory on Tapeta at Gulfstream.