Mr. Monomoy 'Full of Himself' After Risen Star Victory

Brad Cox saddled Mr. Monomoy to his first graded stakes win in the first division of the Risen Star Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) and the trainer reported the Palace Malice  half brother to champion Monomoy Girl was feeling great the morning after the Feb. 15 3-year-old classic prep at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

"He looked really good back in the barn," Cox said. "He was full of himself this morning, and I was very pleased with how he came back after the race and earlier this morning."

Mr. Monomoy tops the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 52 points toward a start in the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs.

"We'll talk about where to go next with him," Cox continued. "The (March 21) Louisiana Derby (G2) is a logical spot, but there are certainly other options with him. We'll get him back to the track and try to make a decision in the near future and come up with a game plan. We're going to let the dust settle and let everyone kind of catch their breath. Maybe in a week or so, we will start putting together the game plan."

The runner-up in the same division, Enforceable, also exited the race well. Trainer Mark Casse reported Sunday morning that he is pleased with the Tapit  colt.

"I wanted him to give us two really big efforts in a row, and I thought he did," Casse said. "He had everything kind of against him yesterday, but he was still able to run well. He made a couple of different moves and still finished with plenty of acceleration. I think that kind of experience will help him down the road. With (33) Derby points, we're in good shape with him."

The improving Bill Mott trainee Modernist won the second division of the Risen Star, and the son of Uncle Mo  is second on the Derby leaderboard with 50 points. Trainer Blaine Wright was at a loss for how his ninth-place charge Anneau d'Or performed while wearing blinkers for the first time.

"We are going to put the Risen Star behind us and move forward," Wright said. "I haven't a clue why he didn't run well, but I'm not worried about it. We'll go back home to California, regroup, and point to the (April 4) Santa Anita Derby (G1)."

Runner-up Major Fed left trainer Greg Foley with something to get excited about.

"It was exciting. We've liked the horse all along, and he showed up and proved himself. He belongs with them, anyway," Foley said. "I thought my horse ran great. From the eighth pole on in, I thought we had a chance to win it. Speed was holding pretty darn good, and that worked against us. 

"He came out of the race good. Looked good. Ate up. Knock on wood. We will just get him ready for the next one. Extra distance isn't any question for our horse. (Julien) Leparoux rides (Enforceable), so we may have to find a new rider. Nothing's come up about it yet."

Cox also saddled British Idiom, who finished second to Finite in Saturday's Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2), a Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) points race at Fair Grounds. The 2019 champion 2-year-old filly by Flashback  was making her season debut in the 1 1/16-mile test, her only loss in four starts.

"She had a little bit of a rough trip into the first turn," Cox said. "I don't think it was the difference between winning and losing, but it did affect her a little bit. I really think she needed this race. The mile-and-a-sixteenth distance at the Fair Grounds, especially for a 3-year-old filly coming off a layoff, is really demanding. Javier (Castellano) was really pleased with her and thought that she is already maturing from a 2-year-old to a 3-year-old as far as how she acted before the race and even during the race. She was just second-best yesterday, but she came back well and looked good this morning."

British Idiom last raced in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), which she won by a neck. That and a victory in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland launched her to the top of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, but she's now in second with 50 points. Finite leads with 70 points.

"There's really only two spots with (British Idiom) going forward—the (April 4) Ashland (G1) at Keenland and the (March 21) Fair Grounds Oaks (G2)," Cox said. "She likes both racetracks. She's moved well over this track at Fair Grounds and also has a good race over the Keeneland racetrack. We're going to let the dust settle with her as well and come up with a game plan."