Monomoy Girl Likely to Target Apple Blossom

When the champion mare Monomoy Girl returns to the races in 2021 as a 6-year-old, she will be running for a new owner and targeting one of the year's top stakes for fillies and mares that will be new to her résumé.

Ned Toffey, the general manager of Spendthrift Farm, said plans call for pointing the Brad Cox-trained daughter of Tapizar  toward the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17 against fillies and mares at Oaklawn Park as her primary objective for the first few months of the year.

"I talked with Brad recently and discussed some different options, and we talked about the first half of the year," Toffey said about the Spendthrift mare. "In horse racing, everything is tentative, but the plan would be to point to the Apple Blossom and see what the spacing looks like for the rest of the year."

Toffey said Monomoy Girl could be given a prep race in a yet to be determined stakes prior to the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom, but he downplayed the notion of sending the two-time Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner overseas to race in either the Saudi Cup or the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), international races worth a combined $32 million.

This year, 5-year-old mare Midnight Bisou finished second in the inaugural Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia, which carried a purse of $20 million.

"It's not worth risking going overseas," Toffey said, pointing out how Spendthrift and MyRacehorse.com shipped Tizamagician to Dubai in March for the UAE Derby (G2) only to have that race and the entire Dubai World Cup card canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The plan is to stay in the United States and hit some of the marquee races. She's with Brad, and he's not training her very hard now, but we will begin to point to a prep somewhere."

While Toffey did not rule out running the $4.4 million earner against males, he said her campaign would likely focus on stakes against fillies and mares.

"We'll probably keep her against females," Toffey said. "The main thing is to make sure we put her in a position that's the best for her. It doesn't necessarily have to be races against fillies, but you want to run in situations where you have the best chance to win. Putting her in the right spot is the big thing, whether it's against colts or against fillies. We're not making a point of taking on the boys, though that's not to say it won't happen in one of her races."

Spendthrift purchased the winner of 13 of 15 starts for $9.5 million from the ELiTE consignment at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's premier breeding stock sale, just one day after her second Breeders' Cup victory.

Monomoy Girl, who will spend the winter with Cox's stable at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, was 4-for-4 in 2020 after not racing for a little more than 18 1/2 months following her victory in the 2018 Distaff at Churchill Downs. With 2020 grade 1 wins to her credit in the Distaff and the La Troienne Stakes Presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming (G1), she seems certain to be named champion older dirt female and should be a leading candidate for Horse of the Year.

The champion 3-year-old filly of 2018 was previously owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables.

At the same sale, Spendthrift paid $2.75 million for multiple grade 1-winning mare Got Stormy from the Bluewater Sales consignment and elected to continue racing her with Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

Toffey said 2021 campaign plans for the daughter of Get Stormy  have yet to be finalized.

"One of the dumber questions I ever asked someone was when I asked Mark Casse if he wanted her back after we bought her," Toffey said. "She's with him at his Ocala farm now. He wants to give her a break, and then he will wind her up for a year in which she will stay on the turf and do her thing. We haven't talked about specific races. Mark may have some races in mind, but we haven't discussed it and formulated a firm plan with him. 

"Training a racehorse is something where you have to be flexible," he added. "It's great when a plan comes together, but in racing you always have to have Plan B ready."

Got Stormy, who was fifth for previous owner Gary Barber in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), has won 10 of her 26 starts while earning $2,021,378. The 5-year-old mare won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes (G3T) and the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T) in the latter part of this year after being switched from mile and 1 1/16-mile races to sprints on the turf.