January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 2 Winner Shancelot Retired; Stud Plans Pending

Shancelot, a Grade 2-winner and Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up, has been retired from racing after suffering a soft tissue injury following a Monday workout, Daily Racing Form reports.

The 5-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby had not raced since finishing second to Mitole in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint. He had been working toward a comeback at Fair Grounds under trainer Steve Asmussen, aiming for the Saudi Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard.

Shancelot retired with three wins in six starts for earnings of $624,300. Campaigned by Crawford Farms Racing, he won his first three career starts, capped off by a 12 1/2-length score in the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes. He followed that effort with a third in the G1 H. Allen Jerkins Stakes before his Breeders' Cup start.

Shancelot was initially trained by Jorge Navarro, but the horse was transferred from his barn to Asmussen's last spring in the wake of a federal charges levied against Navarro, trainer Jason Servis, and several others tied to performance-enhancing drugs.

Charles Muth and Patrick Murphy bred Shancelot in Kentucky. He is out of the stakes-winning Is It True mare True Kiss.

Stud plans for Shancelot are pending.

Knehr Joins the Lane’s End Stallion Seasons Team

Chris Knehr joined the Lane’s End Stallion Seasons team. He has run his own consignment and bloodstock agency, Catalyst Bloodstock and, most recently, was part of the Stallion Seasons sales team at WinStar Farm.

“Lane’s End is a farm with an incredible history of producing top class stallions,” said Knehr. “I look forward to working with a great team and playing a role in the continued success of the farm.”

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Monomoy Girl Targeting Bayakoa

Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) will make her 2021 debut in the GIII Bayakoa S. Feb. 15 at Oaklawn, trainer Brad Cox told the track’s notes team.

A lock to win her second championship after a perfect 2020 season capped by a victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November, the chestnut was purchased by Spendthrift for $9.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale and returned to the Cox barn for a 2021 campaign.

“Honestly, with her breeze this past weekend, she’s probably a little ahead of schedule, as far as where I thought she would be,” Cox said. “We never took her out of training. We just backed off of her. She’s as good as ever, to be honest with you. She’s a monster.”

Monomoy Girl returned to the work tab Dec. 27 at Fair Grounds, covering three furlongs in :37 flat. She breezed a half-mile in :48.80 over a fast track in NOLA Sunday morning.

“She’s really training well,” Cox said. “Looks amazing. Her weight’s great. Her breeze this weekend was spectacular. If we can continue to see that throughout the year, we’re going to have a great year again.”

The Bayakoa is one of the local preps for the Apr. 17 GI Apple Blossom H. Monomoy Girl’s stablemate and fellow GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) may make her first appearance of 2021 in the next Apple Blossom prep, the Mar. 13 GII Azeri S.

“Just kind of knocking the dust off of her,” said Cox. “She got a good break, a well-deserved break. No physical issues. Just thought she deserved some time. There was no sense going into the Breeders’ Cup. That was really the only thing left. I thought it was a wise decision by the ownership group to just give her the break. Our goal this year is to get her to the Breeders’ Cup in San Diego, at Del Mar. We’ll work our way back from that.”

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Dubawi Filly Soft Whisper Screams Promise In UAE 1000 Guineas Trial

The UAE 1000 Guineas Trial is usually a first look at stakes-level sophomore fillies in Dubai and has often been an unveiling of possible future stars. Such was the case once again on Thursday night at Meydan Racecourse when Godolphin's Saeed bin Suroor-trained Soft Whisper let the secret out with a 2 1/2-length win in the seven-furlong conditions affair.

Stalking comfortably in mid-pack throughout the first three furlongs, the daughter of Dubawi from the family of European Horse of the Year Peintre Celebre tipped out under confident Pat Cosgrave handling, gobbled up ground on front-running Jumeirah Beach and then put away that foe, while holding off a pair of stablemates who filled out the trifecta, Last Sunset and Final Thought. Satish Seemar-trained first-time starter Al Maroom ran on respectably for fourth.

Expected favorite Super Chianti was scratched earlier in the day, but will likely line up against the winner in the UAE 1000 Guineas (Listed) in three weeks or the UAE Oaks (G3) thereafter.

The final time was 1:26.72, and the victory improved her record to three wins and two seconds from five starts.

“She just took a little time to sort of get her act together,” Cosgrave said. “She's improved race by race. I really thought she'd win today. I didn't think so after 50 yards for a stride or two–things weren't going to plan–but those good horses usually get out of trouble. I was trying to find the right horse to take me into the race and luckily enough it worked out nicely.

“The good thing about her is she got a little bit of sand in her face and she faced it,” Cosgrave continued. “She had to work hard, which isn't always ideal. She'll improve plenty. I think going a mile she'll be better. She's a nice filly. It took me until the 800m to pull her up. She's by Dubawi and they get better with racing and she's a nice, big, scopey filly.”

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