Monomoy Girl puts in first work since September

It was only a three-furlong drill in 37.60 seconds, but it was a workout, and that is a milestone for champion Monomoy Girl.

Monomoy Girl hit the official work tab Friday at Fair Grounds, posting her first breeze since last September. The 5-year-old mare, who won the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Distaff in an Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old season during 2018, posted a few works during the spring and fall of 2019 but never was able to make it back to the races. She’s been in training at Fair Grounds with Brad Cox since early this year and on Friday ramped up her exercise.

“We’ll see what happens, but everything went really well today,” Cox said.

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Monomoy Girl is a stronger, more mature version of the standout filly she was in 2018, but it’s obviously an open question whether she’ll ever be the same horse again. She had no major physical problems in 2019, just a series of relatively minor setbacks, but it’s already been 15 months since Monomoy Girl last raced and, best-case scenario, she’s a couple months from a comeback start.

“It’s what we’re hoping, that she can be as good as she was, and the further we go with her, the more we’re going to get an indication if she’s going to be able to return to the previous level,” Cox said. “We’re not bringing her back to win Grade 3’s.”

Cox’s stable has been hit with two recent blows – the tragic death of Taraz, who broke down during a workout at Oaklawn Park, and the sudden retirement of Covfefe, who had made two breezes on the road to her 2020 debut.

Workouts this weekend at Fair Grounds will help determine the trajectory for British Idiom, the 3-year-old filly who could race next in the Fair Grounds Oaks or Ashland Stakes, and Mr. Monomoy, the Risen Star Stakes winner who is bound either for the Louisiana Derby or the Blue Grass Stakes.

She’s a Julie back on tab

Grade 1 winner She’s a Julie had the first work of her 5-year-old season when she went a half-mile in 53 seconds on Thursday at Fair Grounds.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, She’s a Julie won the Grade 1 La Troienne last spring at Churchill Downs, and in her most recent start finished fourth in the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland this past October.

Markitoff looks beatable

On paper, at least, there appears to be a pace surplus in the featured eighth race Sunday at Fair Grounds.

Race 8 is open to $40,000 claimers and second-level allowance horses and is carded at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, a short two-turn race.

The most accomplished entrant is Markitoff, who was trained by Mike Maker in his most recent start, which came May 25 at Monmouth Park. Markitoff now resides in the Eddie Kenneally barn and is returning to the course where he nearly pulled an epic upset last March in the Muniz Memorial, coming within a nose of champion Bricks and Mortar.

Markitoff wants more distance than this, figures to be rusty, and is only a two-time winner from 25 starts.

Presuming all the pace shows – Two Emmys is the preferred front-runner – Don’task Don’ttell could get a great trip stalking the leaders while saving ground, and he’s the pick to post an upset.