Monomoy Girl
Monomoy Girl is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2018. She showed very promising form as a juvenile in 2017 when she won her first three races before being narrowly beaten in the Golden Rod Stakes. In the following spring she took the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Ashland Stakes before winning the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. She followed this up with wins in the Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks, but was disqualified to second for interference in the Cotillion Stakes. She then rebounded to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff while facing older horses for the first time.
Monomoy Girl did not race at age four after suffering a bout of colic. So far in 2020, she has won her first two starts of the year, including the Ruffian Handicap.
Background
Monomoy Girl is a chestnut filly with a white star bred in Kentucky by FPF LLC & Highfield Ranch. As a yearling she was offered for sale at Keeneland in September 2016 and was bought for $100,000 by BSW Bloodstock/Liz Crow. She entered the ownership of a partnership made up of Michael Dubb, Sol Kumin's Monomoy Stables LLC, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables and was sent into training with Brad Cox.She was from the second crop of foals sired by Tapizar, best known for his win in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Her dam Drumette showed limited racing ability but was descended from My Lady Love, a half-sister to the Kentucky Oaks Winner Heavenly Cause.
Racing career
2017: Two-Year-Old Season
Monomoy Girl began her racing her career with a three and three quarter length win in a maiden race over one mile on turf at Indiana Grand Race Course on September 5. Later that month at Churchill Downs, she followed up by taking an allowance race over one mile on turf. The filly made her first appearance on dirt in the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs on October 29 and started the 3.4/1 favorite against nine opponents. Ridden by Florent Geroux, she took the lead soon after the start and drew way in the straight to win by six and a half lengths from Queen Mum.For her final start of the season, Monomoy Girl was stepped up to Grade II class for the Golden Rod Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at the same track four weeks later. She started the odds-on favorite but after leading for most of the way she was caught in the final strides and was beaten a neck by Road To Victory.
2018: Three-Year-Old Season
Monomoy Girl began her three-year-old campaign in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course on February 17, 2018 and started the 9/10 favorite ahead of Wonder Gadot and Classy Act. After racing at the rear of the field in the early stages, the filly moved upon the outside, took the lead in the straight and won by two and a half lengths from Classy Act despite ducking to the right a furlong out. After the race Brad Cox said, "She proved herself today... You can see she's still a little bit of a funny filly to deal with, but she's learning and we're lucky to have her. Obviously the Kentucky Oaks is the goal".In the Grade I Ashland Stakes at Keeneland Race Course on April 7, Monomoy Girl started as odds-on favorite against six opponents and never looked in any danger of defeat. She took the lead from the start and drew away from the field in the last quarter mile to come home five and a half lengths clear of Eskimo Kisses.
In the Kentucky Oaks on 4 May Monomoy Girl started second favorite behind the Santa Anita Oaks winner Midnight Bisou. Eskimo Kisses and Wonder Gadot were again in opposition while the best fancied of the other ten runners were Coach Rocks, My Miss Lily and Rayya. Geroux positioned the filly just behind the leaders before sending her to the front half a mile from the finish. In the stretch the race developed into a prolonged struggle between Monomoy Girl and Wonder Gadot, with the latter gaining the advantage approaching the final furlong before Monomoy Girl rallied in the final strides to win by half a length, despite hanging to the right. Wonder Gadot's jockey John Velasquez lodged an objection to the winner on the grounds of interference in the straight, but the result was allowed to stand. After the race Geroux said, "When I hit the quarter pole, her ears were flopping back and forth and she tried putting the brakes on me until she saw Wonder Gadot. When the other filly got head-to-head, I gave her a few slaps to keep her interested, but she can be quirky".
Five weeks after her win at Churchill Downs, Monomoy Girl started odds-on favorite for the Grade I Acorn Stakes over one mile at Belmont Park. With Geroux again in the saddle, she won by two lengths from Talk Veuve To Me. "I just had a lot of confidence going into this race," said Cox, noting her growing maturity. "She never gets worked up. You can tell she's just kind of taking it all in. She does look around a lot. That's just her... Nothing really rattles her."
On July 22, Monomoy Girl earned her fourth Grade I win in a row in the Coaching Club American Oaks at a distance of miles at Belmont Park. She went off as the 1-2 favorite in a field of five that included Midnight Bisou, her chief rival in the three-year-old filly division. Monomoy Girl went to the early lead and set a sensible pace. Turning for home, Geroux urged her forward and Monomoy Girl responded by opening up down the stretch for a three length win.
Monomoy Girl made her next start in the Cotillion Stakes on September 22 at Parx Racing, again facing off with Midnight Bisou. Monomoy Girl and Separationofpowers rated just behind the early pace set by Jump Ruler, while Midnight Bisou raced a few lengths further back in fifth. Swinging wide around the turn, Monomoy Girl moved to the front, opening up a length lead in midstretch despite drifting in towards the rail. Closing steadily down the stretch, Mike Smith on Midnight Bisou first guided his filly to the rail then moved her to the outside to get around Monomoy Girl. As the gap narrowed, Monomoy Girl started to drift again, this time moving out from the rail despite Geroux's attempts to keep her straight. The two fillies bumped near the finish line and Monomoy Girl crossed the finish line a neck in front. However, she was subsequently disqualified to second for interference. "If only came in the first time," commented Smith, "she probably wouldn't have gotten disqualified, but there were two different incidents. She'll do that, that mare. She'll lean into one. She's a fighter."
Monomoy Girl faced older fillies and mares for the first time in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, held on November 3 at Churchill Downs. The field included champion Abel Tasman, Midnight Bisou, Blue Prize, Vale Dori, Wow Cat and Wonder Gadot. Breaking from the outside post, Monomoy Girl stalked the early pace set by Wonder Gadot then took command rounding the turn, then held off a late run from Wow Cat to win by a length. "She ran the way she was training," Cox said. "She was training like a monster, and she ran like a monster."
Monomoy Girl was named the champion three-year-old filly of 2018. She will be given a few months of rest before returning in 2019 for a four-year-old campaign.