Barn Tour: Leonard Powell is hitting his stride in California

Trainer Leonard Powell blew past his previous high in single-season purse earnings in 2021 when his stable banked just under $1.5 million, easily surpassing his previous high of $918,568 set in 2019.

Powell’s run of success has continued through the start of the Santa Anita winter-spring meet. The 45-year-old native of France has connected with three of his first 10 starters at Santa Anita, which includes Neige Blanche in last week’s Astra Stakes (G3).

Horse Racing Nation recently caught up with Powell for a Barn Tour, as well as to briefly reflect on his barn’s steady rise on the Southern California racing circuit.

“It was good, for sure,” Powell said of the 2021 season. “We built our clientele and I thought we did a pretty good job with the horses. Hopefully we have built some momentum and we can keep on going.

“But the main thing is that we have people that trust us. We are able to do the best we can with the horses we have.

Powell, a former amateur jockey in his native country, currently has about 30 horses stabled at Santa Anita. Below is the latest on five of his top talents and where they might be headed next.

Neige Blanche. The French-bred 5-year-old’s win in the Astra was her second straight Grade 3 win and third Grade 3 overall in 16 career starts. By Anodin, Neige Blanche was bottled up for much of the 1 ½-miles Astra, but when finding racing room at the top of the stretch, she blew past her rivals to win by a length under Juan Hernandez.

“The good thing about this race was it wasn’t very taxing on the horse because she only ran a quarter of a mile,” Powell said. “She came out of it extremely well. She was already back to her normal weight just three days after the race.”

Powell added Neige Blanche would likely next point to the $125,000 Santa Ana (G3) going 1 ¼ miles on March 26 followed by the $125,000 Santa Barbara (G3) going 1 ½ miles on May 14.

“They have a nice series here at Santa Anita, so that’s what we’ll do next. And then if she does very well, maybe in the late spring or early summer we might try for a bigger race,” Powell said. “It all depends on how she does.”

Neige Blanche has a record of 7-0-3 in 16 starts with earnings of $395,012 for owners Madaket Stables, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell.

Flashiest. It was a frustrating final quarter of the season for the 4-year-old gelding by Mizzen Mast. After winning the Oceanside and finishing a close-up second in the Del Mar Derby (G2), Flashiest was largely undone by troubled trips when off the board in both the Twilight Derby (G2) and Hollywood Derby (G1). Then the Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes (G2) on Dec. 26 was washed off the turf and he checked in dead last.

“He can run a really good race like he showed in the Del Mar Derby and the Oceanside, but the last few times you know there wasn’t much space to run and we got kind of stuck inside,” Powell said. “Things need to kind of go his way. He’s got a big, long sweeping run.”

After a string of graded-stakes tries, Powell added Flashiest would likely drop into a second-level allowance as a potential confidence-booster.

“We went in all those stakes because they were restricted to 3-year-olds, but now that he has to face his elders, I’m probably going to bring him back a non-winners of two others than to get him restarted.”

Dicey Mo Chara. Following an allowance win at Del Mar that earned a good figure in early November, he made his graded-stakes bow in the Nov. 27 Hollywood Derby (G1) and beat just two horses home at 76-1.

Dicey Mo Chara returned to the work tab on Jan. 10. Like stablemate Flashiest, this 4-year-old English-bred gelding by Adaay is also likely to get some class relief in his next start.

“I’ve been entering him in an (allowance) two other than, but it hasn’t filled yet,” Powell said. “We tried the Hollywood Derby because it was restricted to 3-year-olds and he had a win over the course the race before. But I think we’ll aim for a two other than. There’s one in the book for a mile-and-an-eighth. Hopefully he graduates from that and we can aim for bigger things.”

Owned by Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dicey Mo Chara has a record of 8: 2-2-1 with earnings of $132,077.

Avenue de France. The 5-year-old French-bred mare by Cityscape was shipped north to Golden Gate Fields for two of her previous three starts where she won both the Luther Burbank Stakes in August and the Miss America Stakes most recently on Dec. 12.

Next up for Avenue de France will be Saturday’s $100,000 Megahertz (G3) on turf at Santa Anita.

“We’re going to enter (Wednesday) in the Megahertz,” Powell said. “She’s a dual stakes winner, so the goal now is to get a graded-stakes placing for her.”

Avenue de France has a record of 14: 5-0-4 with earnings of $158,02 for owners Benowitz Family Trust,  Convergence Stable, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Mathilde Powell.

Fuente Ovejuna. Imported from Europe late in 2021, the 3-year-old English-bred daughter of Lopa de Vega checked in fourth when making her U.S. debut in the Jan. 2 Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita. The chart notes in the Blue Norther that Fuente Ovejuna was “impeded at the start. Prior to arriving in the U.S., she won once in four starts overseas before coming stateside.

“We wanted to be mid-pack, but wound up a little further back. (But) we would have never beaten the winner because she was much the best, but she could have got second or third,” Powell said.

Fuente Ovejuna returned to the work Jan. 17 and in her most recent drill on Monday, Powell added “very small blinkers” that he said worked well.

“I think also she was idling a little bit in that last start. So I worked her with some very small blinkers and I found her to be a lot more focused,” Powell said. “So next time she will probably run with blinkers on and I expect improvement.”

Fuente Ovejuna ould resurface in the $75,000 Lady Of Shamrock Stakes on Jan. 30 at Santa Anita, but Powell added “I’d rather wait for a one other than” allowance race.”