Gainesway Well-Represented in Kentucky Oaks

When 14 fillies break out of the gate in the May 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), Gainesway Farm will be represented as a co-owner and breeder of Eskimo Kisses as well as by two horses the Lexington nursery's consignor arm sold as yearlings—Monomoy Girl and My Miss Lilly.

"We are certainly well-represented here and we feel these three fillies are very live," said Gainesway's Michael Hernon, who is co-breeder of Monomoy Girl, the dominant Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) winner installed as the 2-1 favorite on the Oaks morning line. "It is very exciting and from a personal point of view to co-breed a Kentucky Oaks winner would be a big achievement. She is the morning-line favorite and really has a great chance. She is coming up to the race in great style so if she gets beat there won't be any excuses."

A daughter of the Gainesway stallion Tapizar —son of leading sire Tapit  who stands for a 2018 fee of $12,500—Monomoy Girl was bred under Brendan and Olive Gallagher's nome de plume FPF, which stands for their Frankfort Park Stud, and Hernon's Highfield Ranch. Trained by Brad Cox, the filly has won five of six starts and earned $556,550, with her only loss a second-place finish in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill last fall. In addition to the Ashland, Monomoy Girl won the Rachel Alexandra (G2) and Rags to Riches Stakes.

Consigned by Gainesway to the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale, Monomoy Girl was purchased by Liz Crow of BSW Bloodstock for $100,000. She races for Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables.

"She was  a very good yearling and I think we left a little bit of money on the table that day," said Hernon. "But Gainesway brings horses to sell and we sell fairly and we stand behind the product. She (Crow) bought a hell of a filly. She is a terrific filly with a lot of natural speed and talent with a very good demeanor."

Crow, who along with Bradley S. Weisbord manages Monomoy Girl's career, vividly recalled her purchase of the filly offered at Keeneland in Book 3. Monomoy Girl was produced from the winning Henny Hughes mare Drumette.

"It rained the day before, so all the agents were stacked up, trying to get through all the (inspections of) horses in Book 3," said Crow, adding the final price likely would have been higher had the filly been by a more established sire and out of a mare with winning produce on the track. "There was a lot of chaos but when they brought her out she was so calm, so professional. She had very athletic build, huge forearm, strong gaskin, good length to her back. Very athletic is the number one word I would use for her. Her pedigree was what made me be able to afford her. If she had been by a sire like Tapit or Bernardini or out of a mare that had produced I wouldn't have been able to afford her.

"This is not a diamond in the rough story," Crow continued. "She was a beautiful filly as a yearling. She was one of the more athletic fillies I saw in Book 3. I was lucky to be able to buy her. My budget was $80,000-$100,000 so she was at the upper end of my budget."

Hernon said Drumette produced a colt by Shackleford  this year and has a yearling colt by Palace Malice  that will likely be entered in this year's Keeneland September sale. "I think this filly will be a big update for him," Hernon said.

Owned by Courtlandt Farms, My Miss Lilly is a gray or roan daughter of Gainesway's Tapit bred in Kentucky by longtime Gainesway client Winchell Thoroughbreds, which raced Tapit and owns part of the record-setting stallion. The filly, whose two wins in four starts includes the Gazelle Stakes (G2) last out, was purchased by trainer Mark Hennig for $670,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale.

Hennig said the filly out of the stakes-winning Harlan's Holiday mare Wicked Deed was picked out by himself, his wife Rosemary, and Courtlandt Farm manager Ernie Retamoza Jr.

"She is a leggy filly that we thought was a two-turn prospect," Hennig said. "She had some speed underneath (in her pedigree) but we thought we saw more Tapit in her than the mare so we felt like she would be a good prospect to get in a race like this someday."

Gainesway owns Eskimo Kisses in partnership with Sherri McPeek's Magdalena Racing and Harold Lerner. Bred by Gainesway, the filly is a daughter of To Honor and Serve, who stood at Gainesway before being relocated to Korea this year. She is out of Silver Colors, a daughter of Mr. Greeley whose dam is 1988 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Winning Colors.

Trained by Ken McPeek, Eskimo Kisses has won or placed in six of seven starts and most recently was a strong closing second in the Ashland.

"She races Lasix-free and her second dam is the wonderful Kentucky Derby-winning filly Winning Colors," Hernon said. "She will like the long stretch of Churchill Downs. It's 1,234 feet long and her style is to come running late. She is a big filly, 16.2 hands, has a big pedigree, and is going to be a good broodmare down the road. I think she will be a better race filly next year, so she is a nice one to have in the stable."