Trainer Patrick Biancone confirmed Wednesday that Dew Sweepers Inc.'s Celtic Dispute will run in the Queen Mary (G2) June 17 at Ascot Racecourse in Great Britain.
Celtic Dispute earned an automatic entry into one of six stakes for 2-year-olds during the Royal Ascot meeting by beating the boys in the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile May 9 at Gulfstream Park, but her trainer has opted to keep her with the girls in next Wednesday's five-furlong Queen Mary.
"At the moment, she's going through the (English) Channel," Biancone said by phone from Newmarket, England. "So far, so good. The news I've had from the traveling lad is that she's doing good."
Biancone ventured to Ascot last year with Lennilu, who finished third in the Queen Mary after winning the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream.
"I know European racing, but last year was my first runner in years. Things changed a little bit. Everything was good and we were beginning to discover things last year. This year we'll take advantage of everything we learned last year," Biancone said. "We did quite good last year. We'll try to do better this year."
Like Lennilu, Celtic Dispute is a Florida-bred daughter of Leinster, but they are two very different fillies, Biancone said.
"Lennilu was more precocious. Speed. This one is less precocious, but she's a big strong filly," he said. "She looks like a little rocket ship."
Biancone is confident that Celtic Dispute will be ready for the Queen Mary, rain or shine, thanks to Gulfstream management's special accommodation that allowed him to breeze his filly over the turf course at Palm Meadows Training Center following a rainfall to simulate the soft turf she may encounter at Ascot Racecourse.
"Last year, it was hot and dry. This year it's raining. Typical English weather," Biancone said. "She worked on soft ground at Palm Meadows. Palm Meadows was kind enough to let her work on soft ground. We have no concern about the weather. She likes the firm; she likes the soft ground."
Since its inception three years ago, the Royal Palm series has been extremely well represented during the Royal Ascot meeting. George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate won the 2023 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and Queen Mary. In 2024, Jose D'Angelo-trained Gabaldon finished second in the Windsor Castle after capturing the Royal Palm Juvenile. Last year, Weaver-trained Sandal's Song finished third in the Norfolk (G2) after capturing the Royal Palm Juvenile, while Biancone-trained Lennilu checked in third in the Queen Mary.
Meanwhile, trainer Nick Palmer reported Wednesday that this year's Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies winner Liberty Rings will not ship for the Royal Ascot meeting. The juvenile daughter of Awesome Slew, who is owned by his parents Teresa and David Palmer, will be pointed to the Debutante Stakes June 28 at Churchill Downs.
"I had a family member pass away in the interim and I didn't want to miss her service, and it takes a lot out of your horses to go over there. The purses aren't really anything spectacular," Palmer said. "Although, for me personally, for my career, it would have been awesome to go and to network and to be able to have a horse in the race, but I anticipate being able to have another chance to do that in the future."
Liberty Rings, who finished third in her April 10 debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race on Gulfstream's main track, registered a front-running 1 1/4-length victory under Miguel Vasquez in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
"I didn't know how she was going to take to the turf, because I'd never breezed her on the grass and she's not bred for the grass," Palmer said. "My thinking and Miguel's thinking was: 'Let's just get to the lead and try to make them catch us.' So that's what we did."
The six-furlong Debutante will be contested over the main track at Churchill.
"I'm feeling very confident. All the works she's been doing the past couple of weeks have just been routine maintenance works, because there's such a stretch of time between her last race and the Debutante. So I kind of let her come down a little bit and now I'm bringing her back up. She's going to work in company with another horse of mine, Serac, and they're both going to Kentucky. Serac is going to go in the (June 27) American Derby and Liberty Rings is going in the Debutante."
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