Monomoy Girl turns in final breeze for Cotillion

North America's leading 3-year-old filly, Monomoy Girl, turned in her final workout Sunday for the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion, which will be held Saturday at Parx Racing. The Brad Cox-trained daughter of Tapizar is scheduled to be flown from Louisville to Philadelphia on Wednesday along with other Kentucky-based horses scheduled to race on Parx's premier card of the year.

The program also includes the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, which is expected to attract McKinzie, Hofburg, and Bravazo; the $300,000 Gallant Bob, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds; and two other stakes. The races will be drawn Monday.

Monomoy Girl, who is 8 for 9 and only a neck short of perfection, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 over a fast track at Churchill on Sunday. The move was the fourth fastest of 41 at the distance. A week ago, she turned in a bullet 1:00.40 over a "good" Churchill strip.

On Sunday, Cox worked Monomoy Girl in company with Monmouth Oaks runner-up Sassy Sienna. Cox timed the pair in splits of 13.00, 26.00, 37.00, and 49.20. Monomoy Girl's regular rider, Florent Geroux, was aboard.

"We gave her a nice little five-eighths this morning from the half-mile pole – just a nice, easy maintenance work," Cox said of Sunday's breeze. "We were a little stiffer with her last week on the gallop-out. We wanted a little more from her."

Monomoy Girl is 5 for 5 this year, with wins in the Rachel Alexandra, Ashland, Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, and Coaching Club American Oaks. In her only loss, she finished second in the Golden Rod stakes last fall after wandering a bit on the lead in the stretch.

Following the CCA Oaks, Cox skipped the 1 1/4-mile Alabama and freshened her for a late-season double of the Cotillion and Breeders' Cup Distaff, which will be held at her home base of Churchill on Nov. 3. She comes into the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion off a nine-week break.

"I didn’t want to squeeze her too much," Cox said. "She looks amazing and is training as well as ever. She's ready."

The Cotillion is expected to also attract four-time graded stakes winner Midnight Bisou and Alabama runner-up She's a Julie, who are trained by Steve Asmussen; the Make Casse-conditioned Wonder Gadot, who took on males in the Travers in her last start; Test winner Separationofpowers (Chad Brown); Chocolate Martini (Tom Amoss); and locally based Dixie Serenade (Eddie Colletti).

McKinzie was taken out of training with a hock injury in the spring and will be making his first start since being disqualified from a head win over Bolt d'Oro in the San Felipe at Santa Anita in March. Bob Baffert has worked him eight times since Aug. 1.

Although Baffert swept the Triple Crown with Justify, there was a time when McKinzie was considered his best 3-year-old.

The 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby has a prospective field of nine that includes Curlin winner Hofburg (Bill Mott), the iron horse Bravazo (D. Wayne Lukas), and the late bloomer Axelrod (Mike McCarthy), who has won the Indiana Derby and Smarty Jones in his last two starts.

Also probable are Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Instilled Regard, who is now trained by Chad Brown; the Dale Romans duo of West Virginia Derby winner Mr Freeze and Travers fourth-place finisher King Zachary; Trigger Warning (Mike Rone), who just missed in the Indiana Derby; and either Diamond King or First Mondays from the barn of John Servis.

The Gallant Bob will match Firenze Fire (Jason Servis), Still Having Fun (Tim Keefe), and Seven Trumpets (Dale Romans).