Monomoy Girl likely to skip Alabama, point for Cotillion

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Monomoy Girl put more distance between herself and the rest of the 3-year-old filly division on Sunday with a decisive three-length victory over Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

Monomoy Girl, who ran her 2017 record to 5 for 5 – and 4 for 4 in Grade 1 races – will most likely make her next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 22, trainer Brad Cox said Monday. Cox said he simply didn’t see the benefit of running Monomoy Girl back in four weeks in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama at 1 1/4 miles here on Aug. 18.

“I think it’s best to wait, space her races, try to get her to the Breeders’ Cup [Distaff] in the best possible shape and have a 4-year-old,” Cox said Monday morning in his Saratoga barn office. “I don’t know if there’s a benefit in running her back that quick, at that distance.”

The Cotillion is run at 1 1/16 miles and is six weeks out from the Breeders’ Cup.

While she did have Gio Game on her hip early, Monomoy Girl got away with a relatively soft early pace in the Coaching Club and had more than enough to run away from Midnight Bisou from the quarter pole to the wire. Monomoy Girl, who is 8 for 9 lifetime, earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for her Coaching Club victory.

“It was a solid effort,” Cox said. “It was the trip I kind of envisioned.”

Cox said Monomoy Girl “was tired” but sound on Monday morning. Cox said he would keep Monomoy Girl in Saratoga for at least a week, maybe two, before likely sending her back to Churchill Downs to train.

“We get a line on her pretty well there,” Cox said.

Meanwhile, trainer Steve Asmussen was noncommittal as to what might be next for Midnight Bisou, who suffered just her second defeat of the year, both to Monomoy Girl. Asmussen had previously said Midnight Bisou would run in the Alabama, but he wants to wait a little while before making a determination.

“We’ll figure out how to get to the Distaff in the best way possible, whatever that may be,” Asmussen said.

Among those expected for the Alabama are Red Ruby, the 13-length winner of the Delaware Oaks; Coach Rocks, runner-up to Red Ruby in both the Delaware Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan; and Talk Veuve to Me, winner of the Indiana Oaks.