‘A Real Racehorse’: Leinster Filly Sets the Mark at OBS

[Wandering Eyes]

Amongst a bevy of co-fastest furlong workers, Elenique, a filly from the first crop of multiple graded winner Leinster (hip 412), separated herself from the pack with a bullet quarter-mile work in :20 3/5 during the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Thursday. The Florida-bred chestnut is consigned by RiceHorse Stable and was bred by Aldo DeLuca's DeLuca and Sons Stables.

“She always showed us that she was a very fast filly,” DeLuca said. “I was preparing her to take her to the races at Gulfstream. She was working some bullet works at Nelson Jones [Training Center], she had a couple of :36s and :35 a change. The trainer told me that he never had such a fast horse there because it's such a deep track. And she wanted to go even further, it was not only speed.”

The juvenile is out of Cape Trios (Cape Blanco {Ire}), a mare DeLuca purchased privately. The mare's first foal, Greenfield Cougar (Breaking Lucky), was a debut winner at Gulfstream in March.

Of the decision to send Cape Trios to Leinster, De Luca explained, “I have loved Leinster since he came to Florida. I love horses that are from California or New York that are fast. They always hit home runs here in Florida. In my years of breeding, I always see that. Fast over there, but super fast over here.”

So with the filly turning heads with her early training and the success of her half-brother, coupled with her young sire's immediate success on the racetrack where his daughter Lennilu will go postward at the Royal Ascot meeting next week, DeLuca suddenly needed to reevaluate plans for the 2-year-old he had named Elenique.

“We decided to sell her because there were too many things happening,” De Luca said. “All the Leinsters are doing good–all of them–there is not one bad one around. There was one yesterday who did :9 4/5 [at OBS]. And the one is going to Royal Ascot, Lennilu. And all that out of a group of only 20 babies. Her super good works, the Leinster, plus the mother's first baby won a maiden special weight at Gulfstream first time out, we felt we had to sell her.

He continued, “She has shown us for six months, since working at Nelson Jones and today again, that she is a special horse, a real racehorse. And if she is sold, we have a better shot to see her compete in group races up north and that, as her breeder, would make us proud.”

DeLuca, who has a band of 12 broodmares at his Florida farm, admitted it wasn't an easy decision to make.

“It is emotional because we have had her since she was born,” he said. “And you don't get a horse like this every day. She had the best work of the whole week until now. And I took it easy with her. That's why she's in June. We weren't planning on putting her in the sale, so we weren't rushing her in February or March, so we could bring her to Gulfstream around this time because she is a May baby. We don't want to rush our babies. I never in my life put a May baby in a breeze sale. I would never do it, but this filly really needed to talk to tell me, 'Yes, I need to go into that sale.' And she did.”

Seven juveniles equaled the :9 4/5 fastest furlong of the week during Thursday's third session of the under-tack show. First to hit that mark was a colt by Modernist (hip 512) consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, followed quickly by a filly by Kantharos (hip 496) who is consigned by Wildheart Thoroughbreds.

Harris Training Center, which sent a filly by Frosted out to work the bullet during Wednesday's second session of the under-tack preview, had a second bullet worker Thursday with a filly by Maximus Mischief (hip 503).

A filly by Midshipman (hip 351) earned the bullet for New Hope AB; while Top Line Sales was represented by a filly by Charlatan (hip 459). A filly by Uncle Chuck (hip 476) worked the bullet for S G V Thoroughbreds and a colt by Authentic (hip 528) matched the mark for Wavertree Stables.

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 7:30 a.m.

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