Patrick Biancone

Celtic Dispute (f, 2, Leinster--Bert's Altarcation, by Bertrando), a debut second as the 4-5 chalk going 4 1/2 furlongs for trainer Patrick Biancone over the Gulfstream dirt Apr. 16, switched to grass and defeated the boys in Saturday's Royal Palm Juvenile S. at Gulfstream Park. The 5-2 chance flashed sharp speed from her inside draw, but was cleared by fellow filly and favored Skara Brae (Golden Pal), a sharp debut winner for Wesley Ward at Keeneland this spring, and backed off to second. Celtic Dispute set her sights on the...

G2 Queen Mary-placed Lennilu (Leinster) has emerged from her Leinster Hollywood Beach Stakes victory in good order and is now on target for a tilt at the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. With her lone career loss coming at the Royal Ascot meeting when she ran third in the aforementioned Group 3, the grey has already defeated the boys--in the Hollywood Beach--and will take them on again at the World Championships as confirmed by trainer Patrick Biancone Sunday morning. "She's doing great. Perfect," said Biancone from Palm Meadows, confirming...

Lennilu (Leinster), who beat both Kadabra (Good Magic) and Chambourcin (Copper Bullet), both return winners in recent days, in her Apr. 6 Keeneland slop debut took another step forward in her stakes debut over this turf course. Partnered by Luis Saez, she bumped into Satisfied Mind (First Samurai) leaving the gate before forcing the pace in the early stages. The 4-5 favorite in a field of 11 took over from Satisfied Mind turning for home and readily kicked clear from the rallying debutante Bibi Dahl to prevail by 3 3/4...

1st-Keeneland, $72,968, Msw, 4-6, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.32, sy,  1 length. LENNILU (f, 2, Leinster--Lulu's Pom Pom, by Pomeroy) got her freshman sire off to a rapid start with a debut victory at Keeneland Sunday. Sent off at 5-2, the gray filly was hustled out of the gate before sitting a stalking trip under energetic handling from Luis Saez as Kadabra (Good Magic) set the pace. Lennilu tipped out a path at the top of the lane, closed determinedly to overtake Kadabra late and pulled away to score by...

Julien Leparoux, a two-time Eclipse Award winning rider, collected his 3,000th career win aboard Pike Place (Street Boss) in the third race at Churchill Downs on Thursday, the track said in a press release that same day. Leparoux, 41, launched his career in 2005. Raised in Chantilly, France, Leparoux's passion for horses led him to Southern California in 2003, where he began as an exercise rider for trainer Patrick Biancone. He transitioned to race riding and earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2006. Three years later he...

Incumbent Owner/Director Thomas Cannell and incumbent Trainer/Directors Patrick Biancone and David Fawkes have been re-elected to the board of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the organization announced Saturday. New to the group's board are Owner/Directors Gerardo Amado and Jeffrey Siskin. The new board will take office effective Apr. 6, the date of the next board meeting. Officers will be named at the Apr. 6 meeting.

A total of seven candidates have been nominated for the upcoming 2023 FTHA Election, to be held Mar. 15, 2023. Nominations were submitted during the FTHA's annual General Nominating Meeting and Awards Dinner at Gulfstream Jan. 7. The seven candidates are: OWNERS Gerardo Amado Tom Cannell David Geofroy Jeffrey Siskin TRAINERS Patrick Biancone Jorge Delgado David Fawkes The Florida THA is supervised and managed by a Board between 11 to 15 Directors. Six seats are reserved for Owner/Directors, and six seats are reserved for Trainer/Directors. Three Directors may be either...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Radio Days (Gun Runner) launches her sophomore campaign in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Allen Stable Inc. and trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the $750,000 KEESEP graduate made it two-for-two in a blowout optional claiming victory at this same seven-furlong distance at Aqueduct last time Dec. 2. Her worktab includes a four-furlong bullet in :48 3/5 (1/19) at Payson Jan. 12. "She's a filly we're really excited about. Her first two races have been really good," McGaughey said. "She's...

Cosmonaut (Lemon Drop Kid--Cosmic Fire, by Capote), a four-time Grade III winner and third in the 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Mile, was euthanized Oct. 29 at Cornell Equine Hospital due to complications from surgery. He was 19 years of age. Bred in Kentucky by Patricia Pavlish, Cosmonaut was purchased by trainer Carlos Martin on behalf of Carl Lizza's Flying Zee Stable for $105,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September Sale and was a two-time winner and runner-up in the 2005 Commonwealth Turf. Turned over to Patrick Biancone the following season, the...

A duo of fillies from the Brad Cox barn coming off dominant maiden victories will attract plenty of attention from bettors in an evenly-matched field of 12 in Friday's opening-day GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. The 1 1/16-mile test offers to the winner a fees-paid birth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Breaking from the rail is Albaugh Family Stables' narrow morning-line favorite Juju's Map (Liam's Map). Hammered down to 7-10 debuting for Cox July 25 at Ellis, the $300,000 Keeneland September graduate made a menacing run to...

The last shall be first; and the longest, shortest. Insofar, that is, as we have a Triple Crown series at all. This year, to many, the GI Belmont S. is just another mile-and-eighth GI Kentucky Derby prep, conveniently loaded with qualifying points. For those deigning to line up, however, an asterisk is a perfectly acceptable price for becoming a 152nd consecutive name in the annals of the oldest Classic, extending all the way back to Ruthless at Jerome Park. The modern ruthless can perhaps be found at Churchill Downs instead--albeit...

At 46, Luca Panici is far too deep into his career for anyone to talk sensibly of breakthroughs. But if it is unusual to find the second favorite for a Classic ridden by a jockey who has otherwise partnered a single graded stakes winner, then let nobody be deceived. Luca Panici was born and raised for days like Saturday, and his horsemanship and character are absolutely commensurate with the opportunity awaiting him on Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}) in the GI Belmont S. The one pity, of course, is that this...