November, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Distaff: Cox Throws Monomoy Girl’s Hat Into Horse Of The Year Ring

Two-time Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Monomoy Girl left trainer Brad Cox's Keeneland barn shortly after 6 a.m. and made the 15-minute drive across town in Lexington, Ky., to Fasig-Tipton Co.'s auction house where she is scheduled to sell later Sunday.

Monomoy Girl improved her 2020 record to a perfect four for four with her Distaff victory, which was made even more remarkable by the fact that she had missed all of 2019 because of various minor ailments. In 2018, she capped a championship season that included the Kentucky Oaks and four other stakes with her first Distaff win.

“To be honest, it was a relief when she won,” Cox said. “I don't why, but there's just a lot of pressure with her, but she's never let us down.”

When asked if Monomoy Girl should be considered for Horse of the Year, Cox said yes.

“She's done nothing wrong,” Cox said. “There's obviously some very good horses out there that have accomplished a lot this year and yesterday. Ultimately, that's up to the voters. Who knows, maybe, depending on who buys her, you could see her again this year and maybe even next. I don't know where. I'll know a lot more later tonight. It will be exciting. It's like we've been through two days of Breeders' Cup and now we have to go through (the sale) with her.

“She looked great out of the race, I'm telling you she really looked amazing. I really have no clue what is going to happen (at the sales.)”

Cox said he, along with family and friends, celebrated his four overall Breeders' Cup win over the weekend at a local Japanese restaurant and that he was home by 9. His plans are to return to his Churchill base to saddle horses in races there before returning to Lexington for the sale.

“We just have to keep our heads down and keep going, continue doing what we're doing,” Cox said. I told someone this morning that we have to start preparing for Breeders' Cup 2021.”

“This was an amazing weekend of racing,” Cox said. “Very happy for our staff, our owners and our clients. Very happy and proud. Our horses showed up and ran their races.”

In addition to the Distaff, Cox won the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Aunt Pearl (IRE), TVG Juvenile with Essential Quality and the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile with Knicks Go.

“I mean I've been a huge fan of racing. I love racing and I've kept up with it since I was a young kid,” Cox said. “Really growing up Breeders' Cup weekend, Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Preakness weekend, those are highlights where I can look back at the tremendous horses who won those races and I can almost remember where I was at watching on TV. But it was an amazing weekend.”

Valiance, the runner-up in the Distaff, departed Keeneland at 6 a.m. for the 10-mile van ride across Lexington to Fasig-Tipton where she will be offered for sale this afternoon or early evening.

The 4-year-old Tapit filly was purchased by current owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Martin Schwartz for $650,000 at Fasig-Tipton's 2017 sale of selected yearlings in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Breeder China Horse Club then bought back in. For the partnership she has earned $809,575 with a 9-6-1-0 record that includes her triumph in Keeneland's Juddmonte Spinster on Oct. 4.

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What To Look For In A Weanling-To-Yearling Pinhook, With BTE Stables’ Erin O’Keefe

On the surface, the goal of pinhooking is quite simple, to make money. Beyond that, I think everyone would agree that it's to make as much money as possible.

Each year prior to purchasing, I look at the pinhooking statistics from the previous year to see what the market trends are for the most profitable purchase point – by percentage, as well as dollars of profit.

It's great to double your money, but if you bought a horse for $5,000 and sold it for $10,000, it's unlikely you even covered your carry costs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you'd love to make $60,000, but if you spent $400,000 and sold for $460,000 most of your “profit” is spent on commissions.

I seek to purchase in the sweet spot that's most likely to maximize actual profit. While a home run is a home run from any price point, it's key to mitigate risk as much as possible. Nobody anticipated the events of 2020, but a pragmatic approach allowed for profitable pinhooking.

To achieve these goals, certain compromises are sometimes required. If I'm looking to acquire a more physically precocious weanling, that likely means compromising on sire power. This formula can be successful, particularly when staying strict within a budget. Likewise, if I'm rounding out the group with a more commercial pedigree, that may mean compromising on something like size or vetting.

When narrowing from over 1,000 weanlings, the veterinarian you work with is key. A clear understanding of what can be helped, and what won't improve, allows for quick decisions and confident purchases.

Beyond the compromises that sometimes must be made, the main thing I look for is what I can improve.

In order to sell profitably, you must have done something to improve the “product” you're presenting. It's always a goal to have a pedigree update that improves the value, but those aspects are outside of your control as soon as the hammer falls and the horse is yours.

The physical improvement of the weanling to its yearling sale is a multifaceted process that can be influenced in many ways. At BTE Stables, we're fortunate to have resources to cater to the individual horse throughout the year it's with us prior to the yearling sale.

From a TheraPlate to a full spectrum of turnout sizes to individually-crafted feed protocols, we're able to craft care to allow for maximum improvement. From the time the weanlings set foot on the farm to the time they head to the sale, they are treated as individuals and assessed continually. The same horse will have a different outcome based on where it was raised and prepped, and that's something crucial to keep in mind during the selection process.

Erin O'Keefe is a partner in BTE Stables, in charge of farm management and bloodstock services. Originally from the suburbs of Detroit, Mich., she moved to Lexington, Ky. to attend the University of Kentucky's Equine Science and Management program. A lifelong fan of Thoroughbred racing, she immersed herself in the industry, working for many prestigious farms in the Bluegrass prior to launching BTE Stables in 2019 with partner Daniel Schmidt. Learn more about BTE Stables here.

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Classic: ‘Disappointed,’ ‘Shocked’ Knowlton Sets Pegasus As Early-Season Goal For Tiz The Law

Sackatoga Stable's 3-year-old Constitution colt Tiz the Law, a well-beaten sixth in Saturday's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., was fine Sunday morning trainer Barclay Tagg said.

Sent off as the 3-1 favorite from post two, Tiz the Law was stuck on the inside under jockey Manny Franco and never mounted a serious challenge to Authentic, who had beaten him by 1 ¼ lengths in the Kentucky Derby.

“(Franco) said he was rank on him,” Tagg said, before leaving for Florida early Sunday morning. “The winner was rank and he should have just followed him around. I had him ready to run, but I can't ride for them.”

Tiz the Law's connections had recognized that having to start close to the rail might present a problem for the New York-bred. The Classic was the worst performance of Tiz the Law's career and the first time he did not finish in the top three.

“Obviously, we were disappointed and kind of shocked that he didn't end up better than he did,” Sackatoga's operating manager Jack Knowlton said. “An inside trip was a concern. There were a lot of people when they saw the draw automatically said, 'that's a problem for this horse.' When you are in the two-hole it's awful hard to put yourself in a place where you can get outside of horses. Maybe that's the story. I don't think being on the rail was the ideal place.

“You're not going to get what you want every time if they are in enough races. I guess it was our turn to not get the good trip. We won three Grade 1s and were second in the biggest race for 3-year-olds and he had the trip every time.”

Knowlton said Tiz the Law will be shipped to Tagg's barn at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida on Wednesday. The goal is to have him ready for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park.

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Sprint: Whitmore To Get Well-Deserved Vacation, Point For 8-Year-Old Campaign

Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Whitmore, who was making his fourth start in the race, was back at Louisville, Ky., in his Churchill Downs stall not long after the Breeders' Cup races concluded and enjoyed some hydrotherapy in an equine spa Sunday morning. He'll stay at Churchill for about a week before leaving to have his normal vacation at Rebecca Maker's farm in Versailles, Ky., according to trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett.

As long as the horse continues to show he wants to run, the Pleasantly Perfect gelding will race again next year at age 8.

“That was awesome,” Moquett said. “It's always fun when you are a big fan of a horse and they win. It's even better when you are a fan and their trainer. Laura (Moquett, wife and assistant) said he was cooled out by the time they got to the test barn.”

When asked who was more tired this morning, him or the horse, Moquett said it was probably him.

“I stayed up late last night responding to texts from people congratulating me. They may not even like me, but they like the horse. I had texts from (Richard) Mandella, (Bob) Baffert, (Steve) Asmussen, (Todd) Pletcher, (Nick) Zito and (D. Wayne) Lukas. I'm so proud that Whitmore's touched those guys because they know something about a good horse.”

Whitmore was unplaced in 2017, second in 2018 and third the Sprint in 2019.

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