Monomoy Girl Splashes Home First In Bayakoa, Winning For 14th Time In 16 Starts

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl registered her 14th victory in 16 career starts on Sunday at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., dispatching five filly and mare rivals on a sloppy track to win her seasonal debut by two lengths under regular rider Florent Geroux.

Trained by Brad Cox for Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse and Madaket Stables, the 6-year-old mare by Tapizar out of Drumette, by Henny Hughes, took the overland route most of the 1 1/16 miles, stopping the teletimer in 1:45.92.

Our Super Freak edged Finite by 1 1/4 lengths for second place, with Chance to Shine fourth, Istan Council fifth and Another Broad trailing the field. Sent off the heavy favorite, Monomoy Girl paid $2.40 as a heavy favorite.

Steve Asmussen-trained Finite jumped out to an early lead under Ricardo Santana Jr., setting fractions of :24.60 for the opening quarter mile and :49.41 for the half. Our Super Freak applied pressure to Finite approaching the far turn after six furlongs in 1:14.13, with Monomoy Girl biding her time just behind the top pair and well off the rail.

Our Super Freak and David Cohen passed Finite, who fought back gamely to her inside, but Geroux and Monomoy Girl had them both measured, and the champion moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, sailing past the mile marker in 1:39.04 en route to her victory.

The post Monomoy Girl Splashes Home First In Bayakoa, Winning For 14th Time In 16 Starts appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Different Silks, Same Result: Dual Champion Monomoy Girl Takes Bayakoa in 6-Year-Old Debut

Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), who was last seen on the racetrack capping her second championship campaign with a win in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, returned to the races with an easy two-length victory in the GIII Bayakoa S. at Oaklawn Park Sunday. The 6-year-old mare, who has now won 14 races from 16 starts–10 in graded company–sold for $9.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale just a day after her second Distaff triumph last November and was making her first start for new owners Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse.com Stable and Madaket Stables.

“It's kind of a relief to get it over with,” admitted Brad Cox, who continues to train the mare for her new connections. “She ran big. It means a lot. I'm very proud of what she accomplished today. Very, very pleased with what she was able to accomplish and bringing her to Hot Springs means a lot. It's a great racing town. The Saratoga of the South, I guess you could call it. There were a lot of fans here and I think they appreciate our team bringing her here.”

Sent off at 1-5 and breaking from the outside in a field of six, Monomoy Girl was floated to the middle of the track heading into the first turn as the jockeys steered clear of the rail of the rain-soaked track. She raced keenly while three wide and was always within striking distance of pacesetting Finite (Munnings), who took the field through a quarter in :24.60 and a half in :49.41. Niggled at by jockey Florent Geroux nearing the lane, it took the champ a few strides to get going over the sloppy surface, but once she kicked into gear, Monomoy Girl produced a powerful surge to take the lead with a furlong to run and sailed clear of the competition in a matter of strides before gliding under the wire unchallenged.

“It was a great trip,” Geroux said. “It set up great from the start with the outside post and short field. I let the horse in front of me do the dirty work and I just tucked in behind, on the outside, which was the smart thing today with the track condition. When I asked her turning for home, she gave me what she has all the time. She always delivers, so it's easy to appreciate a champion. I'm the luckiest jockey in the world right now.”

Named champion 3-year-old filly following a once-beaten season that culminated in a GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff conquest, the chestnut famously lost her entire 2019 season due to a variety of setbacks and returned no worse for the wear with a four-for-four 2020 campaign that again finished with a Distaff victory and an Eclipse statuette, this time for champion older female.

PEDIGREE NOTES:

Drumette, with the future champion in utero, sold for $75,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. In foal to Mastery, she sold to Bridlewood Farm for $1.85 million at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Superman Shaq, her colt by Shackleford, sold for $550,000 at last year's OBS June sale and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following a maiden win at Del Mar last September. The mare has also been represented by 'TDN Rising Star' Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice), who captured the 2020 GII Risen Star S.

Drumette produced a filly by Mastery in 2019 and a colt by Tapit last year.

Monomoy Girl's sire Tapizar (Tapit–Winning Call, by Deputy Minister), who was set to be shipped to Japan to stand stud at Yushun Stallion Station for the 2021 season, was euthanized after an accident in his stall last December.

Sunday, Oaklawn Park
BAYAKOA S.-GIII, $250,000, Oaklawn, 2-28, 4yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:45.92, sy.
1–MONOMOY GIRL, 119, m, 6, by Tapizar
1st Dam: Drumette, by Henny Hughes
2nd Dam: Endless Parade, by Williamstown
3rd Dam: Mnemosyne, by Saratoga Six
($100,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $9,500,000 5yo '20 FTKNOV). O-My
Racehorse Stable, Spendthrift Farm LLC & Madaket Stables
LLC; B-FPF LLC & Highfield Ranch (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $150,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Filly, Ch. Older
Female & MGISW, 16-14-2-0, $4,576,818. *1/2 to Mr.
Monomoy (Palace Malice), GSW, $327,162.
2–Our Super Freak, 117, m, 5, Mineshaft–Thatcher, by Giant's
Causeway. ($5,000 Ylg '17 FTKOCT; $17,000 2yo '18 EASMAY;
$210,000 3yo '19 KEENOV). O-LBD Stable LLC & David Ingordo;
B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux.
$50,000.
3–Finite, 119, f, 4, Munnings–Remit, by Tapit. ($200,000 2yo
'19 EASMAY). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Thomas J.
Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah A. Easter; B-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $25,000.
Margins: 2, 1 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.20, 15.80, 3.60.
Also Ran: Chance to Shine, Istan Council, Another Broad. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Different Silks, Same Result: Dual Champion Monomoy Girl Takes Bayakoa in 6-Year-Old Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Baffert: ‘We’re All Set’ After Life Is Good Has Final San Felipe Prep

Life Is Good worked six furlongs Sunday morning in 1:12.20 for Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, a major steppingstone to the G1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

“He went well,” Bob Baffert said of the son of Into Mischief after the 9 a.m. drill. “I'm happy; we're all set.”

Presently, Baffert has five Triple Crown candidates: Life Is Good and Medina Spirit, who go in the San Felipe; San Vicente winner Concert Tour and runner-up Freedom Fighter, set for the Rebel Stakes and the Gotham, respectively; and Spielberg, an impressive second albeit by 4 ¼ lengths behind champion Essential Quality in Saturday's Southwest Stakes.

Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer, seeks to add to his record seven San Felipe victories.

His previous winners were Prime Timber (1999), Point Given (2001), Preachinatthebar (2004), Pioneerof the Nile (2009), Dortmund (2015), Mastery (2017) and Authentic last year.

Deeper Waters In San Felipe For None Above The Law
California-bred None Above the Law could face monster stakes winners who have won against open company when he runs in Saturday's San Felipe Stakes.

A son of Karakonite owned and bred by Kirk and Judy Robison, None Above the Law was second last out in the California Cup Derby at a mile and one-sixteenth on Jan. 16, prompting the pace and taking the lead into the stretch before finishing a length and a half behind victorious Big Fish.

“He showed he can get a distance but the race didn't work out the way we planned,” said Peter Miller, who trains the gray gelding. “We wanted to lay back and make one run, but he kind of made an early run at the five-eighths pole and got a little tired.

“But he's doing well, and obviously the water will be a lot deeper in the San Felipe.”

The San Felipe offers 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the third horse and five to the fourth.

Miller, a threat to be leading trainer at any meet in which he participates (he's currently tied for third at Santa Anita with 16 victories, two behind leader Doug O'Neill), also has three horses nominated to Saturday's G2 San Carlos Stakes for four-year-olds and up at seven furlongs, C Z Rocket, Major Cabbie and Shashashakemeup.

“We're going to run two of the three,” he said. “We're not sure which two.”

Entries for Big 'Cap Day will be taken this Wednesday.

The post Baffert: ‘We’re All Set’ After Life Is Good Has Final San Felipe Prep appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights