Monomoy Girl earns another 100 Kentucky Oaks points

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Monomoy Girl is a quietly confident filly. She walked through the crowded paddock on the biggest day of Keeneland’s spring meet without turning a hair or breaking a sweat. She gives her trainer the same feeling.

“Confident,” said conditioner Brad Cox, when asked to describe his feeling as Monomoy Girl cruised down the backstretch in command of the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. “Not worried.”

Monomoy Girl backed up that confidence with a 5 1/2-length win, picking up another 100 points toward the Kentucky Oaks, for which she will be among the favorites in four weeks’ time. A neck away from being unbeaten on her career, the filly, who has shown multiple dimensions when the necessity arises, is already a stakes winner at Churchill Downs – putting Cox in an enviable position for the filly classic after giving him his first Grade 1 victory.

“It's special,” Cox said. “It means a whole lot that we've had her since the start. She's really developed - we thought a lot of her when she started winning on the dirt last year at Churchill, and she’s obviously taken it to the next level.”

Monomoy Girl ($2.60), favored in the small field of seven, was away alertly from the rail under Florent Geroux, quickly established command of the race, and clicked off an opening quarter of 24 seconds and the half in 47.98. The outcome was never in doubt from there, as the filly began extending her margin over the field around the far turn and poured it on in the lane. She stopped the clock in 1:43.74 for the 1 1/16 miles on a track officially rated fast after winter weather overnight and into the morning.

"We just wanted to take a good position and let the filly be comfortable," Geroux said. "We had the rail, and we just took it to them, and she was the best. She can go very fast [comfortably]. She was looking around and taking a deep breath before the beginning of the stretch. She can go farther."

Eskimo Kisses, who was last as the field approached the quarter pole, turned in another powerful rally to be second, picking up another 40 points toward the Oaks. The filly had just missed in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in her stakes debut two weeks ago, rallying to be second to longshot Chocolate Martini by a head.

“She doesn't always show a lot of speed in her races, so she was sitting back there biding her time," said Corey Lanerie, aboard Eskimo Kisses for Ken McPeek. "When it was time to go, I called on her and she gave me everything she had. I think more ground [in the Oaks] would be a whole lot better for her. That and maybe a little more pace up front in the race. We'll see what happens."

After Eskimo Kisses, it was another 7 1/2 lengths back to Patrona Margarita in third, followed by Andina Del Sur, Ipanema Beach, C. S. Incharge, and Tyfosha.

Monomoy Girl, a daughter of Tapizar, races for Michael Dubb, Sol Kumin's Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables. The filly has now won 5 of 6 career starts, with the only blemish a neck defeat in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes last November at Churchill Downs.

The filly previously won the Rags to Riches Stakes going a mile at the Louisville track. In her 3-year-old debut in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, the filly, who is typically forwardly placed, overcame a poor start in which she trailed the field after hitting the gate to post a handy win despite also shying at the eighth pole.

The Ashland has been a productive Kentucky Oaks prep since Keeneland converted back to a dirt track for the spring 2015 meet following eight editions on Polytrack. Lovely Maria won both races in 2015, and 2016 Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia had finished third in the Ashland. Daddy's Lil Darling was second in both races for McPeek last year.