Monomoy Girl

Notching her fifth Grade 1 win of the year, Monomoy Girl capped a near-perfect campaign in winning the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs November 3 during the 35th Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Monomoy Girl was sent off the 9-5 favorite in the field of 11 fillies and mares and easily handled older runners for the first time after breaking from the far outside post. She won by one length from Grade 1 winner Wow Cat, who was last early before a ground-gaining rally, and covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.79 on a fast track.

Monomoy Girl has finished first in each of her seven starts this year, although she was disqualified and placed second behind Distaff third-place finisher Midnight Bisou for interference in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) September 22 at Parx Racing in her start prior to the Distaff. But before that, she reeled off four straight Grade 1 victories, starting this spring in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes and followed by the Longines Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, and Coaching Club American Oaks. Her overall record stands at nine wins, and two seconds from 11 career starts.

In the Distaff, before an on-track crowd of 42,249, Monomoy Girl tracked pacesetter Wonder Gadot from second, then took charge into the stretch before drawing clear at the eighth pole and secured the win under Florent Geroux. Abel Tasman, runner-up in the 2017 last year’s Distaff, was in contention early but faded to finish last as the 2-1 second favorite.

Monomoy Girl provided trainer Brad Cox, Louisville native who grew up two blocks from Churchill Downs, with his first Breeders’ Cup win and gave Geroux his fifth triumph at the Championships.

“She ran the way she was training. She was training like a monster and she ran like a monster. She is a special filly, one of a kind, an unbelievable filly,” Cox said of his stable star, who is owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables.

Sol Kumin’s Monomoy Stables is the majority owner in Monomoy Girl, a daughter of 2012 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) victor Tapizar.