Monomoy Girl Keeps On Winning in Breeders' Cup Distaff

Just how good is the three-year-old filly Monomoy Girl? Well, between February and November, she crossed the wire first in seven straight graded stakes races, including six Grade 1 events, and she proved her mettle against older mare by winning the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (gr. I) on November 3rd at Churchill Downs in professional fashion. That’s pretty remarkable, no?

On several occasions, Monomoy Girl has shown a tendency to lose focus and wander around when she strikes the front—it’s arguably the only trait that has kept her from going unbeaten in eleven career starts—but she showed none of those antics in the Distaff. Under a perfect ride from jockey Florent Geroux, Monomoy Girl broke cleanly and quickly assumed a pace-pressing position, rating comfortably in second place as longshot Wonder Gadot set steady but otherwise unremarkable fractions of :23.39, :47.57, and 1:12.11.

Rounding the final turn, Wonder Gadot gave way, leaving Monomoy Girl alone on the lead and potentially in a precarious position. But the race favorite ran straight and true down the homestretch, and while she may have gotten just a bit leg-weary late, she had enough left in the tank to cruise home a length in front over the late-running Wow Cat, while the second choice Abel Tasman—billed as Monomoy Girl’s primary opposition—never fired and came home last.

"She ran the way she was training,” Cox told Churchill Downs after the race. “She was training like a monster and she ran like a monster. She is a special filly, one of a kind, an unbelievable filly."

Monomoy Girl recorded a final time of 1:49.79 while adding the Distaff to a phenomenal 2018 record that officially includes victories in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), Acorn Stakes (gr. I), Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I), and Ashland Stakes (gr. I). Monomoy Girl also crossed the wire first in the Cotillion Stakes (gr. I), though she was disqualified on that occasion for drifting around and interfering with the runner-up Midnight Bisou, who came home third in the Distaff.

Following the race, Cox expressed confidence that Monomoy Girl would be kept in training for a 2019 campaign, which would provide her with an opportunity to further enhance her glowing resume. She’s already a shoo-in to win the Eclipse Award as the champion three-year-old filly of 2018, and if she improves at all as a four-year-old, it’s going to be tough for anyone to take her down next season.