Oaks Winner Monomoy Girl Headlines Acorn Stakes

There is storyline in Thoroughbred racing that has been relayed extensively in recent weeks.

It is one that features a chestnut prodigy who has repeatedly put classmates in their place, a versatile runner who can bring the heat if needed up front or sit back and pounce if others chose to do the dirty work. It is the tale of a sophomore runner who used their time over the Churchill Downs track in early May to cement themselves as the best of their ranks, a claim their connections hope will be further reinforced June 9 during a blockbuster Belmont Park card.

The heroine in this particular version of the yarn is named Monomoy Girl, the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner and unabashed star of trainer Brad Cox's barn. She will not be seeking a historic Triple Crown sweep like her red-colored male counterpart, dual classic winner Justify. She will, however, aim to leave no doubt she is the one all other 3-year-old fillies must go through if they want a sniff at divisional accolades when she headlines an exceptional field of seven for the $700,000 Acorn Stakes presented by Nassau County IDA (G1).

With only a neck defeat in the Nov. 25 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) standing between her and an unbeaten record, Monomoy Girl has set the standard for her fellow young distaffers on how to thrive regardless of race conditions. She began her career on turf before she took her ability to the main track. And whether she is running foes off their feet—as she did in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) in April—or prevailing in a fight like the one she and Wonder Gadot engaged in during the stretch of the Kentucky Oaks, the daughter of Tapizar  has kept Cox amazed at her ability to remain unfazed.

"She hasn't missed a beat. Her weight's great, her coat is great, she couldn't be doing any better," Cox said. "Going a mile and an eighth (in the Oaks), breaking from the outside, and being used a little bit early to get position—it wasn't an easy race. I thought one of the most encouraging things was that galloping out, she flicked her ears forward like, 'Is that it?' It was encouraging to see that watching the replay.

"She really bounced out of it in great order. We didn't give her any extra time or anything after the races. It was kind of business as usual—her typical three days off and then back to the track—and she hasn't missed a bit."

Though Monomoy Girl's ability didn't miss a beat when stretched over 1 1/8 miles in the Kentucky Oaks, the eight-furlong distance of the Acorn is one she is unbeaten at in three attempts.

"We think a mile is probably her best distance," Cox said. "She's proven she can carry her speed going a mile at one turn. The one-turn mile at Belmont—we think she'll take to that."

Owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl is three-for-three in 2018, including her seasonal debut victory in the Feb. 17 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) and has a career bankroll of $1,120,750.

While Monomoy Girl is seeking to turn the Acorn into a continuation of her exceptional narrative, a couple other divisional standouts have shown up in the entry box with designs on recapturing prior form.

Caledonia Road was responsible for one of several stunning results at the 2017 Breeders' Cup, when she upset the field at odds of 17-1 to win the 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies (G1) by 3 1/4 lengths. That effort, combined with her runner-up outing in the Frizette Stakes (G1), was enough to earn the Ralph Nicks-trained daughter of Quality Road  the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old filly, but the opportunity to build off that momentum was delayed when she had to undergo surgery to remove bone chips in her right ankle weeks after her signature win.

Once Caledonia Road finally made her seasonal bow in an allowance race April 29 at Belmont, she overcame some shortness in fitness to win by 3 1/2 lengths over the one-mile distance.

"Obviously it'll be her second race off the layoff, and in her first race back, she wasn't what I would call 100% for her best effort that day," Nicks said. "It was a building block to the Acorn and, of course, to the rest of the year. I would expect her to move forward off of the last race and if we're good enough, we can catch them around a one-turn mile."

If Caledonia Road was under the radar heading into the Breeders' Cup, Moonshine Memories had all sorts of expectations heaped upon her after she won her first three starts, including the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) and Chandelier Stakes (G1). The daughter of Malibu Moon  ended up seventh as the favorite in the Juvenile Fillies and only recently got her season underway, when she finished second in the May 12 Angels Flight Stakes at Santa Anita Park.