Florent Geroux | Horse Racing Free Tips

Monomoy Girl Continues Comeback With Ruffian Victory

Monomoy Girl, the 2018 champion 3-year-old who missed all of her 4-year-old campaign, continued her comeback for trainer Brad Cox on Saturday, winning the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., by about two lengths over Vexatious, with Piedi Bianchi third in a field of five older fillies and mares.

Ridden by Florent Geroux, Monomoy Girl, a 5-year-old by Tapizar racing for Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables LLC, The Elkstone Group LLC, and Bethlemen Stables LLC, paid $2.30 to win as the odds-on favorite and covered one mile on a good main track in 1:34.13.

Monomoy Girl tracked Mother Mother through opening fractions of :22.84 and :45.55 for the first half mile, moved to the lead without urging and took command at the top of the stretch after six furlongs in 1:09.40. Geroux gave her a couple of taps with his riding crop in the stretch and the issue was never in doubt.

The win was the 11th in 13 career starts for Monomoy Girl, whose 2018 victories included the G1 Kentucky Oaks and the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff against older fillies and mares.

The post Monomoy Girl Continues Comeback With Ruffian Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Monomoy Girl Delivers in Ruffian

Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) was bet like she could not lose at 1-9 in Belmont’s GII Ruffian S. and duly delivered with a facile success in this five-horse affair. Glued to pacesetting Mother Mother’s (Pioneerof the Nile) outside hip through a :22.84 opening quarter, the chestnut stuck to her like glue through a :45.55 half-mile. Drawing even on the backstretch, Monomoy Girl stuck her head in front on the far turn and rolled clear in the lane. Vexatious (Giant’s Causeway) was the only one trying to run with the Eclipse winner in the lane, but proved no match, finishing two lengths short in second. It was 8 3/4 more lengths back to Piedi Bianchi (Overanalyze) in third.

“She’s a very special filly,” said Brad Cox’s assistant Dustin Dugas. “She showed up and ran well. She did everything we asked of her.”
“The only way she gets beat is when she’s by herself and she puts the breaks on me,” said winning pilot Florent Geroux. “I knew Mother Mother would show speed. She showed tactical speed when I rode her before and I know what she can do. I just let her [Mother Mother] go on and do the dirty work for me. At the three-eighths pole, Manny [Franco, aboard Mother Mother] was asking his filly pretty hard. I was waiting and I gave her a little tap to get her focused to the wire. This was a nice race for her to come back into stakes competition and now we can tackle some bigger races and a tougher field, too.”

Monomoy Girl won six of her seven starts during her sophomore season in 2018 to clinch the Eclipse Award with five Grade Is topped by the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Given a brief freshening after her championship campaign, the chestnut returned to the Brad Cox barn in the winter of 2019, but was soon sidelined by a case of colic. After rehabbing at WinStar, she rejoined Cox last July, but was sent to the bench yet again with a hamstring injury, which kept her off the track for the rest of her 4-year-old year. Back with Cox once again at the start of 2020, Monomoy Girl made a triumphant return in a sloppy one-mile optional claimer at Churchill Downs May 16.

Pedigree Notes:

The winner’s dam Drumette–a half-sister to GSW Drum Major (Dynaformer)–summoned $1.85 million from Bridlewood at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November Sale while carrying a foal by Mastery. The resulting foal was a fill and she had a colt by Tapit May 25 of this year. Monomoy Girl’s 3-year-old half-brother Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice) won one of the divisions of this year’s GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds, but was knocked off the GI Kentucky Derby trail with a minor injury. Her 2-year-old half-brother Superman Shaq (Shackleford) sold to Justin Casse at last month’s OBS Spring Sale for $550,000.

Saturday, Belmont Park
RUFFIAN S.-GII, $145,500, Belmont, 7-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:34.13, gd.
1–MONOMOY GIRL, 120, m, 5, 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). O-M Dubb, Monomoy Stables LLC, The Elkstone Group LLC (Stuart Grant) & Bethlehem Stables LLC; B-FPF LLC & Highfield Ranch (KY); T-Brad H Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $82,500. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Filly, MGISW, 13-11-2-0, $3,086,118. *1/2 to Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice), GSW, $327,162. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Vexatious, 120, m, 6, Giant’s Causeway–Dream of Summer, by Siberian Summer. ($150,000 Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-Calumet Farm; B-James C Weigel & Giant’s Causeway Syndicate LLC. (KY); T-Jack Sisterson. $30,000.
3–Piedi Bianchi, 120, m, 5, Overanalyze–Adore You, by Tactical Cat. ($60,000 Wlg ’15 KEENOV; $80,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $80,000 2yo ’17 OBSMAR). O-Jay Oringer, Jack Bick & Madaket Stables LLC; B-Deann & Greg Baer DVM (IN); T-Carlos F Martin. $18,000.
Margins: 2, 8 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.15, 14.80, 33.50.
Also Ran: Mother Mother, Always Shopping.
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 Monomoy Girl Delivers in Ruffian appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Pegasus Turf Winner Zulu Alpha Headlines Sunday’s Elkhorn At Keeneland

Michael Hui's six-time graded stakes winner Zulu Alpha will shoot for his third victory of 2020 when he headlines a field of 13 grass marathoners Sunday in the 35th running of the $175,000 TVG Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland.

The TVG Elkhorn will be contested over 1½ miles over the Keeneland turf course and be run as the final race of the five-day Summer Meet. First post time Sunday is 1:05 p.m. with the TVG Elkhorn going as the ninth race with a 5:30 post time.

NBCSN will provide live coverage of the TVG Elkhorn from 5-7 p.m.

Winner of the 2018 Sycamore (G3) and third as the favorite in the 2019 Dixiana Elkhorn, Zulu Alpha started his 2020 campaign with a victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Presented by Runhappy (G1) and followed that with a triumph in the Mac Diarmida (G2). In his most recent start, Zulu Alpha was second in the Kitten's Joy Pan American (G2) going 1½ miles.

Mike Maker trains Zulu Alpha, who will break from post position five under Tyler Gaffalione in the TVG Elkhorn.

Figuring to be the major rival to Zulu Alpha is $1.8 million earner Arklow.

Owned by Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway, Arklow won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) last fall at Belmont Park. Trained by Brad Cox, Arklow finished second in the Louisville (G3) in his most recent start that came off a 4½-month layoff. Arklow will exit post 10 under Florent Geroux.

The field for the TVG Elkhorn, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Apreciado (Gerardo Corrales, 118 pounds), Nakamura (John Velazquez, 118), Ramsey Solution (Julio Garcia, 118), Postulation (Julien Leparoux, 118), Zulu Alpha (Gaffalione, 120), Jais's Solitude (Corey Lanerie, 118), He's No Lemon (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Hellorhighwater (James Graham, 118), Oscar Dominguez (IRE) (Joel Rosario, 118), Arklow (Geroux, 123), Ry's the Guy (Chris Landeros, 118), Hierarchy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Henley's Joy (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118).

The post Pegasus Turf Winner Zulu Alpha Headlines Sunday’s Elkhorn At Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Shared Sense Completes Trainer Brad Cox’s Indiana Derby, Oaks Double

Godolphin homebred Shared Sense went four wide and survived an objection to win Wednesday evening's Grade 3 Indiana Derby, giving trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux the graded stakes double on the card after winning the G3 Indiana Oaks with Shedaresthedevil. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, Shared Sense defeated Major Fed by about three lengths at the finish.

The 3-year-old son of Street Sense completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.46 over the fast main track at Indiana Grand, earning his first 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The updated points standings are available here: Derby Oaks Leaderboard

Second-last heading into the clubhouse turn, Geroux made his way to the rail to save ground with Shared Sense. The pair moved up the rail down the backstretch, then found themselves behind a three-wide wall of horses mid-way through the far turn.

Major Fed was on the outside of Shared Sense, and Geroux rode aggressively to make room four-wide and force that rival five-wide as the field turned for home. Major Fed's rider James Graham lodged an objection after the race, but stewards disallowed the claim and let the result stand as Shared Sense skipped home to an easy three-length win.

Graham and Major Fed had to settle for second, while Necker Island and Extraordinary filled out the superfecta.

Bred in Kentucky by his owner, Shared Sense is the first foal out of the Bernardini mare Collective, herself out of the two-time Grade 1 winner Composure (Touch Gold). Collective is an unraced half-sister to multiple Grade 1-placed runners Centring and Penwith.

It took Shared Sense three starts to officially break his maiden; in fact, he was second that day in late November, but the winner Blackberry Wine was later disqualified for a medication positive. In January, Shared Sense finished sixth in the listed Smarty Jones at Oaklawn, but he came back to win an allowance race at the end of February.

Given a few months off and switched to the turf, Shared Sense was sixth in the listed War Chant Stakes on May 23 at Churchill, then went back to the dirt to run second to the undefeated Art Collector in an allowance race at Churchill on June 13.

(Art Collector is entered in Saturday's Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.)

Overall, Shared Sense has won three of his eight starts for earnings of over $320,000.

The post Shared Sense Completes Trainer Brad Cox’s Indiana Derby, Oaks Double appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post