Monomoy Girl a Clear Favorite in Ashland Stakes

Brad Cox is your typical trainer in that he makes a conscious choice not to let his focus get too far ahead. One day at a time, one race at a time is the math that equals a successful bigger picture for him—and it is hard to argue with the formula the Louisville native has put together the last couple seasons.

Each of the past two years have seen Cox establish career highs in terms of wins, earnings, and stakes victories—a byproduct of his stable stock rising along with his reputation. He just earned a second consecutive meet title at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. He is on pace for the best win percentage of his career. All that's missing at his current rate is a first grade 1 triumph to celebrate.

If a certain sassy chestnut filly in his barn has her way in the $500,000 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland April 7, Cox will be able to check that top-level achievement off in short order. Monomoy Girl, the daughter of Tapizar  who keeps testing Cox's discipline in not scripting grand plans too far down the line, stands as the 4-5 morning-line choice in the field of seven entered for the 1 1/16-mile prep race for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Just as her trainer keeps upping his game, Monomoy Girl has been a study in progression with each of her five starts. She was not an obvious sort when bloodstock agent Liz Crow helped select her for $100,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. And her first two outings, while visually impressive, came on the turf at Indiana Grand Race Course and Churchill Downs.

It wasn't until Monomoy Girl went gate-to-wire to capture the Oct. 29 Rags to Riches Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in her dirt debut that Cox started to think she had special potential. Her lone blemish came when she was beaten a neck by Road to Victory in the Nov. 25 Golden Rod Stakes (G2), and during her seasonal debut in the Feb. 17 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2), she hit the gate at the start, ended up last, and still ran off to a 2 1/2 length triumph.

"She definitely has gotten better with racing," Cox said of Monomoy Girl as the latter was spoiled with mints from Crow the morning of April 3. "We didn't know in April or May or anything like that last year that this was an Oaks filly or a filly that would be on the Oaks trail. She's definitely improved over the last six or seven months.

"When she won the Rags to Riches, that is when we thought this could be a special filly. She went fast that day and kept going fast, and that is what the good ones do. She's versatile. She can do whatever—she can pass horses, she can take it to them, she can finish up. She's just very talented."

What impressed Cox most about Monomoy Girl's Rachel Alexandra effort is how unfazed she was by having circumstance go against her, and how willingly she responded when given her cues. At the half mile pole, she began picking off rivals in a sustained bid under jockey Florent Geroux. Despite ducking out when Geroux showed her the whip in the lane, she got her rhythm back en route to besting a field that included fellow Ashland entrant Patrona Margarita.

"She's still learning," Cox said. "She seems like she likes to look at things a bit. We don't run her in the blinkers, but she is curious and has a lot of personality. She is a filly that mentally could move forward, and that is going to come from just more racing."

Owned by Monomoy Stables, Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl currently has 54 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks. The Ashland offers 100 points to the winner toward a spot in the 14-horse starting gate on the first Friday in May.

"It's neat to be in this position but right now we are just focused on the Ashland and trying to make this filly a grade 1 winner," Cox said in regard to having one of the possible favorites for the Oaks. "Hopefully everything goes well. But I'd rather be 5-1 for the Oaks with a month left than 50-1, so I like the position we're in."

If Monomoy Girl goes to the lead out of post 1 in the Ashland, she could find some company in the form of Dale Romans trainee C. S. Incharge. The daughter of Take Charge Indy took five tries to break her maiden but then made a successful jump in company when she captured the Feb. 10 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

"She's a good filly and speed is dangerous anywhere," said Romans, who already has one Oaks contender in Coach Rocks. "She's fast, and at Keeneland especially speed can be really dangerous."

Trainer Ken McPeek won't be mad if a hot pace develops in the Ashland as it would give his filly Eskimo Kisses an ideal setup. The daughter of To Honor and Serve freaked over a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park Feb. 22 when she won by 11 1/2 lengths and is wheeling back after getting beaten just a head by Chocolate Martini in the March 24 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

Entries: Central Bank Ashland S. (G1)

Keeneland, Saturday, April 07, 2018, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Monomoy Girl (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Brad H. Cox	4/5
2	2Eskimo Kisses (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	2/1
3	3Patrona Margarita (TX)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	121	W. Bret Calhoun	15/1
4	4C. S. Incharge (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Dale L. Romans	10/1
5	5Andina Del Sur (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Thomas Albertrani	6/1
6	6Ipanema Beach (KY)	Chris Landeros	121	George R. Arnold, II	20/1
7	7Tyfosha (VA)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Doug F. O'Neill	15/1