First-time owners Theodore Manziaris and Paul Borrelli and journeyman owners Lou Donato and Lanni Bloodstock celebrated the biggest win as a partnership on March 28 at Gulfstream Park when Sultana upset the $175,000 Orchid (G3). Sultana, a five-year-old mare by Always Dreaming, was making her first start since she won the Nov. 8 Maple Leaf (G3) on the Tapeta course at Woodbine in just her fifth career start.
Trained by Kevin Attard, Sultana was making her first start outside of Ontario in the 1 1/2 mile Orchid on the turf, meeting two recent Grade 3 winners on the Gulfstream turf, Just Basking and Speed Shopper. Sent off at 18-to-1, Sultana and jockey Junior Alvarado relaxed well off the pace as Ayra Stark (Arg) showed the way while pressed by Ramsey Pond and stalked by Speed Shopper and favoured Bellezza. There was little change in the running order for the first mile, run in 1:39.39 on fractions of 23.79, 48.71 and 1:24.22, until Sultana entered the picture with a three-wide run on the far turn. Ayra Stark shook off a bid by Ramsey Pond on the turn into the homestretch to open a narrow lead with Speed Shopper on the attack and Sultana looming on the far outside. Ayra Stark dug in approaching the wire under Joel Rosario, but was unable to hold off Sultana.
“Kevin wanted to make sure my filly gets relaxed. That’s what I was working on throughout the race. I got some cover and she was very kind to me,” Rosario said. “When I got her to the outside, I could tell she was going to be game to the end.”
Sultana ran the 1 ½ miles in 2:24.47 while prevailing by a neck. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88. Ayra Stark held second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Speed Shopper. Lou Donato was unable to attend as he was under the weather.
Sultana had run on turf only once in five prior starts, scoring an impressive 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance win prior to the Maple Leaf.
“She’d been training really well at Palm Meadows,” said Attard, the 2024 Sovereign Award for Canada’s Outstanding Trainer and a finalist again for 2025. “Obviously it was a tough task for her off the bench, but she had trained well. She looked physically great. She ended her last campaign in the Maple Leaf going a mile and a quarter with a nice win. When we ran her on the turf last season, I thought that was her best performance up to date, so we were anxious to get her back on the grass. I think she really excels over it,” Attard said. “I was a little concerned about the pace setup today, but it actually turned out a little quicker than I thought it would. Junior gave her a great ride. He got her to settle and when called on she came with a good run.”
Originally an $8,000 Keeneland September yearling, Sultana was purchased for $50,000 in June of 2023 at the Ocala Horses of Racing Age and Two-Year-Old Sale by Donato Lanni, the ace bloodstock agent formerly from Montreal and now based in Kentucky.
Lanni, who enjoys a trip to the Harbour 60 restaurant in downtown Toronto with his friend Lou Donato, met the latter’s friends Manziaris and Borrelli just before the 2023 King’s Plate. Lanni told them his filly Moira, who he owns as part of his Canadian syndicate X-Men, had a good chance to win the $1 million race. She did, easily, and Manziaris and Borrelli quickly wanted to get into horse ownership.
When Sultana won her career debut impressively last May, Donato, Manziaris and Borrelli jumped in.
Sultana finished third and second in her next two races before winning an allowance event on the turf in September. What followed was that surprising win at 5-to-1 in the 1 1/4 mile Maple Leaf against some top mares, including champion Fabulously Fab.
Manziaris is a self-made businessman who began a garbage and recycling business in the classified ads in Toronto and was hired one day by Maple Leaf Gardens, which needed a large clean-up. “Him and his partner made 180 trips to the dump, all in Teddy’s mother’s K-car. Later he was given the garbage contract for Maple Leaf Gardens,” said Lou Donato last fall.
Both Manziaris and Borelli are now involved in GFL Environmental, which bought the former’s Turtle Island Recycling company a decade ago.
Getting involved with their first racehorse has the men “very excited” and they are looking forward to seeing Sultana at the races again in 2026.
“I tell people that owning a racehorse is a lot of fun,” said Donato. “You have to be lucky but it is a great thing to do with family and friends.”
Sultana is from the winning mare Private Offering by Pulpit. Private Offering has had three other runners, all winners, and she traces back to third dam Watch the Time, the dam of Grade 3 Cardinal Stakes winner Watch, California Derby (G3) winner Prime Meridian, Modesty Handicap (G3) winner War Thief, and several other stakes winners.
Sultana was bred by the Always Dreaming syndicate and Michael Snyder. She has had four wins in six starts and $237,941 in earnings.
More News
