Fourth and Central, Lennilu Take Florida Sire Stakes

Fourth and Central  didn't give trainer Michael Yates an anxious moment while registering a dominating front-running victory in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Dr. Fager Stakes Sept. 6 at Gulfstream Park, which was surely greatly appreciated by his owner/breeder/trainer, who had to endure a bitter disappointment when his trainee Finding Strength  had lost a tight photo finish following a heated stretch duel with Lennilu  in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Desert Vixen Stakes two races earlier.

The six-furlong Dr. Fager co-headlined Saturday's 11-race card with the six-furlong Desert Vixen for fillies in first-leg action of the 2025 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Florida Sire Stakes series for juveniles sired by accredited Florida stallions.

"I was pretty confident when I saw him get to the turn. It looked like he was still in hand. He looked well within himself, but you never know," said Yates, who has saddled four Dr. Fager winners, including Rated by Merit , who swept last year's FSS series. "But when he turned for home and switched leads, I was really confident because he took off."

Fourth and Central ($23.60) broke alertly from his outside post 8 to sprint to the lead that he would never relinquish on his way to a 1 3/4-length triumph under Marcos Meneses. The son of Cajun Breeze  set fractions of :22.48 and :46.26 for the first half-mile before stopping the teletimer in 1:11.18. 

Fourth and Central, who races for Yates' Shadybrook Farm, won by a neck in his May 25 debut at 4 1/2 furlongs, but ran a troubled fifth in the six-furlong Proud Man Stakes Aug. 9.

Camigol , who had lost the tight photo to Fourth and Central in his debut, finished second under Edgard Zayas. Trelawny  finished third under Jose Morelos, three-quarters of a length farther back. Squire , the 2-1 favorite ridden by Jonathan Ocasio, finished fifth after bumping with Camigol during the early stages of the race.

Fourth and Central's victory was also especially rewarding for Yates, since he campaigned Cajun Breeze and decided to stand him at stud.

"He's a homebred, I'd be pretty thrilled if he could keep moving forward," Yates said of Fourth and Central.

Lennilu Wins Thrilling Desert Vixen

Racing for the first time since her outstanding run at Royal Ascot in mid-June, grass stakes winner Lennilu battled with impressive maiden graduate Finding Strength the length of the stretch before getting her nose down on the wire to win a thrilling edition of Saturday's $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Ocasio for trainer Patrick Biancone, Lennilu ($4.80) covered a fast main track in a stakes-record 1:10.72 for her third win from four career starts and second in a stakes following the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes May 10 on the Gulfstream turf. That effort earned her an automatic berth in Royal Ascot's Queen Mary Stakes (G2), where she was third, beaten less than two lengths by True Love .

"She has everything. That's why we brought her to England. She couldn't beat the winner, because the winner is the best filly in Europe. She could have been second, but she never saw the horse on the inside. But everyone was delighted by the race," said Biancone, who celebrated his first FTBOA Sire Stakes victory. 

Cross-entered in the Sept. 7 Untapable Stakes sprinting on the turf at Kentucky Downs, Biancone consulted with co-owners Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farms, Maury Harrington, and Christopher Harrington and opted to keep Lennilu at home. Though her 3 3/4-length stakes victory came on the grass, she graduated in debut over a sealed sloppy main track April 6 at Keeneland.

"We finally decided to stay here because of the rain in Kentucky, and I didn't want to run on soft ground, and over here when it rained she liked the wet track," he said. "We gave her plenty of time because we want her to be ready for the Breeders' Cup."

Finding Strength outran Lennilu for the early lead and went the opening quarter-mile in :22.15. Lennilu stalked from the two path in second, with Love Like Lucy  tracking three wide in third and Happy Feet Hannah  in fourth along the rail.

The half-mile went in :45.50 with Lennilu and Finding Strength on even terms, and they straightened for home together to set up a duel to wire with the two fillies racing side-by-side and neither yielding an inch.

"Jonathan was very good because I told him no more than (twice with the crop). Just give her two and finish with your hands, and she put her nose down because she's a winner," Biancone said. "When they put up the number, I was sure we got it. I've been beaten many times and I've won plenty, too, like that."

Biancone said he plans to point Lennilu to the $75,000 Hollywood Beach Stakes for 2-year-olds sprinting five furlongs on the grass Sept. 27 at Gulfstream as a final prep for the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, which runs its juvenile races Oct. 31.

The Florida Sire Stakes series will resume Oct. 18 with the $200,000 Affirmed and the $200,000 Susan's Girl for fillies. Both will be contested over seven furlongs. The series will conclude on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Championship Meet. The $300,000 In Reality and the $300,000 My Dear Girl for fillies will be contested at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 30.