Monomoy Girl has final Kentucky Oaks prep

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Brad Cox describes himself as "a competitive guy." Apparently his filly Monomoy Girl, who will be among the Kentucky Oaks favorites next week, is a competitive girl.

As she did last week in her penultimate work, Monomoy Girl went out for her final Kentucky Oaks drill in company with Secret House. Monomoy Girl, under regular jockey Florent Geroux, was outside her partner as the two went five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch’s watch.

“We’ve worked her once or twice without [company]. She works all right, but she seems to work a little better with a workmate,” Cox said. “Real pleased with her move. I thought her gallop out was really good this morning. It was a really solid move.”

The two got additional company from Promises Fulfilled, who was finishing up his final Kentucky Derby work directly behind them and eventually ranged up outside well into the gallop out.

Monomoy Girl is coming off a 5 1/2-length score in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, giving Cox the first Grade 1 victory of his training career. Prior to that, the filly, who was a stakes winner as a juvenile at Churchill Downs, took the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Cox, a Louisville native who will be saddling his Oaks starters, has another prominent candidate for the filly classic in Sassy Sienna, who posted her first graded stakes win when she nosed out Wonder Gadot in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes. The filly also worked Saturday morning, going a half-mile solo, in 49.20 under Gary Stevens, who has ridden her in her four most recent races, all at Oaklawn.

“We were just looking for a maintenance work,” Cox said. “Solid work, Gary was super-pleased with her. She was ready to do something - she had not breezed since her race, which was 15 days ago.

“I think we're all set,” Cox said.

While Cox said he’s happy to have a favorite for the Oaks in his barn, he did admit that he’ll likely feel some nerves or pressure six days from now when the race is contested.

“I’m handling [the pressure] fine. It’s business as usual,” Cox said. “I’ll probably get nervous after I leg the rider up and she goes out and meets the pony. Then it’s completely out of my hands. The 10, 12 minutes leading up to the race is probably when the anxiety will hit. Up until then, it’s all about preparation, and thinking about what’s best for each filly.”

In other Oaks works during Saturday morning’s reserved training window for those fillies and Derby candidates at Churchill Downs, Eskimo Kisses worked five furlongs in 1:01.33. The filly was a close second in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks, then, most recently, second to Monomoy Girl in the Ashland.

Sunland Park Oaks winner Blamed got four furlongs in 48.27, galloping out in 1:01.20 and 1:14.63.