Breeders' Cup Distaff | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘It’s Hard To Put Into Words’: Cox Grateful For Career-Boosting Champion Monomoy Girl

According to trainer Brad Cox, champion Monomoy Girl's is better this year than she was two years ago. The 2018 Eclipse Award winner returned from multiple setbacks and nearly 18 months away from the races to win this season's Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs, and she's back in next Saturday's G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff hoping for a repeat of her victory in the 2018 edition.

The 5-year-old daughter of Tapizar gave Cox his first Grade 1 win in the Ashland in April of 2018. Since then, even without Monomoy Girl in his barn for the entire 2019 season, Cox's career has skyrocketed; he has now won 15 Grade 1 races as a trainer.

“It's hard to put into words what she means to me,” Cox said on Wednesday's Breeders' Cup teleconference. “Monomoy Girl put us in a position to have an opportunity to have eight, maybe nine horses in the Breeders' Cup this year. Horses like her definitely kickstart your career and get you to a different level.”

Cox trains the potential favorites in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl.

Essential Quality, a 2-year-old son of Tapit owned by Godolphin, won the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 3.

“I think the sky's the limit with this horse,” Cox said. “He's had a race over the Keeneland track, he trained there a good bit of the summer, and he's had two nice works since his last race… I'm hoping he gets a good trip and he'll be in the mix.”

Aunt Pearl, a 2-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega, set a track record in the G2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland last out.

“She's a very fast filly who's able to carry her speed around two turns,” said Cox. “She had a really, really nice work last Friday at Churchill.”

In the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Cox may be represented by both Owendale and Knicks Go.

A Grade 1 winner at two, the now-4-year-old Knicks Go was transferred to Cox's stable over the winter. He's won a pair of allowance races this season, first at Oaklawn in February and last out at Keeneland, setting a track record on Oct. 4.

“We're 100 percent committed with Knicks Go,” Cox said. “He had a setback and minor surgery after the race in February, and there was talk of retiring him… When he came back he trained extremely well just like last winter, and he had his three-other-than condition. We took advantage of that at Keeneland, but we didn't expect him to break the track record. Obviously he loves Keeneland. Before that race, it never crossed my mind to run him in the Breeders' Cup. But after that performance… he has early speed and with the short stretch, I think he'll be a factor.”

The trainer isn't sure whether Owendale will start in the Breeders' Cup. The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief was most recently second in the G3 Pimlico Special, and may alternatively target the G1 Clark at the end of the Churchill Downs November meet.

“Owendale worked well with Monomoy Girl last week, and I feel like he's doing well,” Cox said. “If we don't land in the Dirt Mile, we'll go in the Clark.”

Cox's other Breeders' Cup entrants are: Abarta (Juvenile Turf), Beau Recall (Mile), Factor This (Mile), and Arklow (Turf).

In terms of Monomoy Girl, the mare has been entered in the Nov. 8 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Cox left the door open, however, when asked if she might return to race again in 2021.

“A lot of Monomoy Girl's future depends on her performance on Breeders' Cup day,” Cox said. “It was a long road, we had a couple of setbacks in '19, and took a lot from our staff and for everybody involved with her to get her back to compete and to win a Grade 1. We feel like she's better this year than she was in '18.”

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Keeneland: Ollie’s Candy Works A Bullet Five Furlongs For Distaff

Paul and Karen Eggert's Ollie's Candy, runner-up in the Juddmonte Spinster (G1) in her most recent start, began serious preparations for a repeat run in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) by working a bullet five furlongs in :59 over a muddy track Saturday morning at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., where the World Championships will be held Nov. 6-7.

As the first worker over a freshly harrowed track at 7:30 a.m., Ollie Candy's posted fractions of :23, :47.40, :59 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:12.60. Juan Levya, assistant to trainer John Sadler, was aboard.

“She got over the track really well and galloped out well,” Leyva said of Ollie's Candy, who finished fourth in the Distaff last year.

Ollie's Candy is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect to Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale as part of the premier Book 1, which opens the auction on Nov. 9. She is Hip 83.

In other Breeders' Cup action on Saturday:

Leyva said two other Sadler Breeders' Cup hopefuls – Higher Power (Classic-G1) and Chaos Theory (Turf Sprint-G1) – are scheduled to work Sunday. A fourth Sadler runner, Flagstaff, is expected to ship in for the World Championships here Nov. 6-7 for a run in the $1 million Sprint (G1).

After the second morning renovation break, Kaleem Shah, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Bellafina (Filly & Mare Sprint-G1) worked five furlongs on her own in 1:00.60 with Nick Bush aboard.

Second in the Filly & Mare Sprint to champion Covfefe last year, Bellafina posted fractions of :11.40, :23, :35.40, 1:00.60 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:14.20.

Trainer Simon Callaghan is expected to have two other Breeders' Cup runners in Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor's Harvest Moon (Distaff) and Kaleem Shah's Madone (Juvenile Fillies Turf-G1). Both are expected to arrive at Keeneland on Monday.

Also working toward a possible Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) start was Calumet Farm's True Timber, who covered five furlongs in 1:00.80 for trainer Jack Sisterson.

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Personal Ensign Winner Vexatious ‘Slightly Off,’ Ruled Out Of Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Winner of the Grade 1 Personal Ensign by a neck over champion Midnight Bisou on Aug. 1, Calumet Farm's Vexatious has been ruled out of the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

According to trainer Jack Sisterson on Twitter, the 6-year-old daughter of Giant's Causeway came up “slightly off” Friday morning; her most recent workout was on Oct. 17 at Keeneland.

Sisterson indicated that the plan is to race Vexatious in 2021.

“We always prioritize the best interest of the horse and have elected to defer to caution and not compete in the upcoming Breeders' Cup,” Sisterson wrote. “While this is a disappointment, we look forward to her coming back healthy and happy for a 2021 campaign.”

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Pletcher: Halladay Puts In ‘Good Solid Work’ For Mile, Happy Saver Out Of Breeders’ Cup

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has 4,993 career wins heading into Friday's racing action, breezed a quintet of Breeders' Cup contenders over the past two mornings at Belmont Park.

Harrell Ventures' Halladay, winner of the Grade 1 Fourstardave last out on Aug. 22 at Saratoga Race Course, worked five-eighths in company Friday in 1:00.60 on the fast dirt training track while being pressed from the outside by maiden winner Jerry the Nipper, a 3-year-old New York-bred.

It was the second breeze back for the Breeders' Cup Mile contender after scratching out of the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on October 3 at Keeneland with a hind leg infection.

“I thought it was a good work. We normally don't work him in company, but seeing as we're a little rushed for time between races, I wanted to get a good solid work into him today in company,” said Pletcher. “He's a very willing work horse on his own but the fact that we missed the prep race we wanted to get a good solid company work into him and we got what we were hoping for.

“He responded quickly to antibiotics and everything has gone according to plan so far,” added Pletcher.

The 4-year-old War Front gray, who captured the Tropical Park Derby in December at Gulfstream Park, took a big step forward in his 4-year-old campaign, reeling off a trio of triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures over his last four starts from wins in an optional-claimer [102] on the Gulfstream turf in April; a 1 ¼-length score in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch [103] at the Spa in July; and a 105 Beyer for his frontrunning Fourstardave coup.

“He's always been an impressive horse to watch train,” said Pletcher. “The key to him getting better has been that he's learned to settle and relax a bit in the early part of his races. He was on the bridle in the early part of his breeze today with his company but he wasn't throwing his head and getting silly about it.”

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Martin S. Schwartz and CHC Inc.'s Valiance made the grade last out in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Spinster on October 4 at Keeneland. The Tapit gray clocked a half-mile in 48.04 on the dirt training track Friday while working outside of 3-year-old allowance-winning filly Thankful.

“I thought it was an excellent work,” said Pletcher. “She seems to be in really good form at the moment. I was really happy with the work and gallop out.”

A six-time winner from eight starts, Pletcher said the $650,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase continues to improve with each start ahead of facing deeper waters in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

“This is another step up but she seems to be in the best form of her career,” said Pletcher. “As she's gotten older and more mature and stronger, she's trained better on the dirt. She's won her last two starts on the dirt and has a win over the track which never hurts.”

Valiance, who won the off-the-turf Eatontown at Monmouth Park in August ahead of her Spinster score, is out of the Grade 1-winning Empire Maker mare Last Full Measure.

Breeders' Cup hopefuls Mutasaabeq [Juvenile Turf], Likeable [Juvenile] and Union Gables [Juvenile Fillies Turf/Juvenile Turf Sprint] worked on Thursday at Belmont.

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq, who was third in the Grade 1 Runhappy Hopeful in September ahead of a last-out win in the Grade 2 Bourbon on October 4 at Keeneland, worked a half-mile in 49.75 through the fog on the dirt training track.

“We were under quite a bit of fog at the time, but what we could see looked very good. He seemed to be moving great and came back well,” said Pletcher.

By Into Mischief and out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario, Mutasaabeq was a $425,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Stonestreet Stables' Likeable worked five-eighths in 1:02.11 on Big Sandy under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.

The Frosted bay finished second in his August 22 debut at Saratoga under Irad Ortiz, Jr. ahead of his impressive 8 ¼-length maiden score under Luis Saez in a one-turn mile on September 19 at Belmont.

“I wanted him [Velazquez] to get a feel for the horse and to learn something about him,” said Pletcher. “We've always liked this horse a lot. His two races have been good and he's trained like we would have hoped since then.”

Pletcher said Likeable is training forwardly enough that he opted for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile rather than the Grade 3 Nashua on November 8 at the Big A.

“The choices are do you take a conservative route like the Nashua or do you take a shot at the long ball when the horse is doing really well,” said Pletcher. “We figured there's a lot of upside if we're fortunate and not a lot of downside if were not.”

GMP Stables and F. Bellavia's Union Gables, a 2-year-old Speightstown filly, breezed a half-mile in 50.25 on the dirt training track. She finished third in the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson on September 3 at Saratoga ahead of a last-out second in the Grade 3 Matron at six furlongs on the Belmont turf on October 11.

“I think we'll pre-enter Union Gables in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and second choice in the Juvenile Turf Sprint after her second in the Matron. We'll see where she lands and how popular those races are,” said Pletcher.

Union Gables was a private purchase following her first-out graduation on the Saratoga main track on August 4 for former trainer Gary Gullo.

Pletcher said Wertheimer and Frere's undefeated Happy Saver, last-out winner of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 10 at Belmont, will not enter the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The Super Saver sophomore graduated on June 20 at Belmont ahead of a nine-furlong allowance win against older horses in July at the Spa. He entered the Jockey Club Gold Cup from a prominent win in the Federico Tesio at Laurel Park on September 7.

“We're going to pass on the Breeders' Cup with him and make a decision in the next week on whether we'll give him some time off or focus on a Plan B towards the Pegasus [at Gulfstream]. I think the Classic is coming up a little too soon,” said Pletcher. “He's a horse we plan to race next year and I felt like for the long term skipping this race and focusing on 2021 is the right move for him. He has a lot of talent and we want to make sure we keep him fresh for next year.”

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