Fleur de Lis | Horse Racing Free Tips

Midnight Bisou Makes Stateside Return in Fleur de Lis

After finishing a valiant second to fellow champion Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 29, Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) makes her first start back on U.S. soil in Saturday’s GII Fleur de Lis H. at Churchill Downs, a “Win and You’re In” event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The dark bay dominated the distaff division last season, winning seven straight graded races, including the GI Apple Blossom H., GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. The Eclipse winner suffered her only loss of 2019 when rallying from well-back to be second to Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) in the Distaff at Santa Anita Nov. 2 and made a bold move up the rail to be second by just 3/4 of a length in the Saudi Cup.

Distaff third-place finisher and GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress (Alternation) will take another crack at the champ here. Setting the pace in the GIII Houston Ladies Classic Jan. 26, she was run down late by Lady Apple (Curlin) and forced to settle for second. Returning to winning ways with a front-running 6 1/4-length demolition in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn’s GII Azeri S. Mar. 14, the dark bay never made the front in the Apr. 18 Apple Blossom and faded to 11th. Don’t count her out off that performance, however. Serengeti Empress won the Oaks after being vanned off in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks last spring.

“If you want to talk about a challenge, this is it,” trainer Tom Amoss told the Churchill notes team. “We face a challenge with champion Midnight Bisou. We have great respect for her but we also have a ton of confidence in our filly. Her preparation has been great for this race and we’ll be ready.”

Also exiting the Apple Blossom is seventh-place finisher Go Google Yourself (Into Mischief), who won Oaklawn’s GIII Bayakoa S. prior to that effort. The bay also won the Groupie Doll S. and GIII Locust Grove S. last summer and was second in the GII Falls City S. in November.

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Serengeti Empress Up For The ‘Challenge,’ Faces Off With Midnight Bisou In Fleur De Lis

Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) winner Serengeti Empress is ready for her showdown versus 2019 Champion Midnight Bisou in Saturday's $200,000 Fleur de Lis presented by Coca-Cola (GII) at Churchill Downs – a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In Distaff Division” race.

“If you want to talk about a challenge, this is it,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “We face a challenge with champion Midnight Bisou. We have great respect for her but we also have a ton of confidence in our filly. Her preparation has been great for this race and we'll be ready.”

The speedy Serengeti Empress led every step of the way in last year's Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of Alternation's 3-year-old campaign included a narrow runner-up effort in the $500,000 Test (GI) and third-place finish in the Longines Distaff. In her 4-year-old campaign, Serengeti Empress was a convincing 6 ¼-length winner of the March 14 Azeri (GII).

The Fleur de Lis field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Go Google Yourself (Brian Hernandez Jr., Paul McGee, 8-1); Another Broad (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher, 12-1); Chocolate Kisses (Declan Carroll, Mark Casse, 12-1); Serengeti Empress (Joe Talamo, Amoss, 2-1); Midnight Bisou (Mike Smith, Steve Asmussen, 3-5); Red Dane (Corey Lanerie, Charlie LoPresti, 50-1); and Motion Emotion (Julien Leparoux, Richard Baltas, 15-1).

All horses will tote 120 pounds except Midnight Bisou and Serengeti Empress who will carry 124.

The Fleur de Lis – which means “Flower of the Lily” and honors the French symbol that is incorporated into the city of Louisville's Flag – will be run as Race 9 at 5:15 p.m. (all times Eastern). It will be televised live on NBC from 5-6 p.m.

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Champion Monomoy Girl Points To Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes On July 11

2018's Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Monomoy Girl will run next in the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes on July 11 at Belmont Park, trainer Brad Cox told the Thoroughbred Daily News this week.

The 5-year-old daughter of Tapizar returned off nearly an 18-month layoff to win an allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 16, and was briefly under consideration for this Saturday's G2 Fleur De Lis Handicap over nine furlongs. Instead, Monomoy Girl will head to the one-turn mile of the Ruffian, and a meeting with last year's Champion Older Dirt Female Midnight Bisou will be delayed until later in the season.

“She's really training well and we feel like the one-turn mile at Belmont will really suit her well right now and it gives us plenty of time between races,” Cox told the TDN. “The race just make sense. She's coming off a very long layoff, and we have to keep that in mind. She was off a year and a half. It's not like this is her second race back after a three-month layoff.”

A winner of 10 of her 12 lifetime starts, Monomoy Girl's current earnings stand at just over $3 million. Her year-end goal is the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Cox said.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Monomoy Girl to Go Next in Ruffian

Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) will run next in the GII Ruffian S. on July 11 at Belmont Park, reports trainer Brad Cox.

The champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, Monomoy Girl was sidelined for nearly a year and a half before making a successful return to the races with a May 16 allowance win at Churchill Downs. Like the Ruffian, her comeback race was a one-turn mile event.

“She’s really training well and we feel like the one-turn mile at Belmont will really suit her well right now and it gives us plenty of time between races,” Cox said. “The race just make sense. She’s coming off a very long layoff, and we have to keep that in mind. She was off a year and a half. It’s not like this is her second race back after a three-month layoff.”

Monomoy Girl is bypassing this Saturday’s GII Fleur de Lis H., a stakes for older fillies and mares on her home turf at Churchill Downs that will feature Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). Cox said that while he was not eager to face Midnight Bisou at this juncture in the season, the main reason for choosing the Ruffian over the nine-furlong Fleur de Lis was the distance of the Churchill race.

“Right now, after such a long layoff, a mile and an eighth is not what I am looking for,” Cox said.

If it happens, the rematch between Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou will be one of the most anticipated races of the year.

The two have not met since the 2018 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which was won by Monomoy Girl with Midnight Bisou finishing third. The two faced each other four times in 2018 and Monomoy Girl crossed the wire first each time. However, Midnight Bisou was placed first, and ahead of Monomoy Girl, in the GI Cotillion S. due to interference. With Monomoy Girl out all of 2019, Midnight Bisou put together a championship season in which she went seven for eight.

“Our horse is unbelievable, she’s a great mare,” Cox said. “I’m looking forward to the match up with Midnight Bisou. They are two champions and it would be great for racing for them to meet. It would be a tremendous boost for the sport.”

Cox said the only other race that is definitely on Monomoy Girl’s schedule this year is the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

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