Monomoy Girl lives up to favoritism in Rachel Alexandra

Feb 18, 2018 Jennifer Caldwell/Brisnet.com

Monomoy Girl was sent off the 4-5 favorite in Saturday’s $196,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds, and pulled off a 2 1/2-length victory despite returning off a three-month break and hitting the gate at the start.

Regular rider Florent Geroux was aboard Monomoy Girl and settled the filly in last about three wide after she broke out and hit the gate. Up front, Classy Act took full advantage of the favorite’s trouble and grabbed the lead while tracked by Testing One Two and Wonder Gadot.

The usually front-running Monomoy Girl rallied under her own power as the field entered the final bend. Four wide on the turn, she wrested control from Classy Act in upper stretch and began pulling away. The Tapizar filly suddenly shied, though, when shown the left-handed whip by Geroux, who quickly straightened her and settled her back on the business at hand.

Monomoy Girl scored by 2 1/2 lengths while finishing 8 1/2 furlongs over Fair Grounds’ fast dirt in 1:43.26. The win was worth 50 points toward a spot in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) starting gate on May 4, as the Rachel Alexandra kicked off the Championship segment of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races and was worth 50-20-10-5 to the respective top four.

Trained by Brad Cox for M. Dubb, Monomoy Stables LLC, the Elkstone Group LLC and Bethlehem Stables LLC, Monomoy Girl now leads the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard with 54 total points. She earned the other four suffering her first career loss when second by a neck last out on November 25 in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. The chestnut miss captured the Rags to Riches Stakes under the Twin Spires one race before that and boasts a 5-4-1-0, $256,550 career mark.

Classy Act was making her stakes bow in this spot and took home 20 points for the Kentucky Oaks. Wonder Gadot entered the Rachel Alexandra with 14 points, thanks to a win in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and runner-up effort in the Silverbulletday Stakes in her past pair, and shows 24 total points for finishing third by 1 1/4 lengths in this spot.

Patrona Margarita, the 24-1 longest shot in the Rachel Alexandra despite winning the Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill last out in mid-September, was another 3 1/2 lengths behind in fourth. She earned five points here, bringing her total to 15 points.

Bred in Kentucky by FPF LLC and Highfield Ranch, Monomoy Girl is out of the Henny Hughes mare Drumette and comes from the same female line as 1991 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) conqueror Opening Verse as well as 1980 champion two-year-old filly Heavenly Cause.