Monomoy Girl streaked past and edged clear in the final sixteenth of a mile for her third consecutive Grade 1 win.

by NYRA Press Office

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables' Monomoy Girl kept her perfect season intact and further solidified her standing as the undisputed leader of her division with an emphatic two-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn presented by Nassau County IDA at Belmont Park.

The 88th running of the Acorn for 3-year-old fillies was among nine graded stakes, six of them Grade 1, during a 13-race program on the finale of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, highlighted by Justify's quest to become the 13th Triple Crown champion in the 150th renewal of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

With regular rider Florent Geroux up, Monomoy Girl swept past front-running Talk Veuve to Me in mid-stretch and powered down the lane to win in 1:34.10 over a fast main track. Favored at 3-5 in the field of six, she returned $3.20 for a $2 win bet.

It was the fourth win in as many tries this year for Monomoy Girl, coming off a hard-fought half-length triumph in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 4. The chestnut daughter of Tapizar is a neck short of being undefeated for her career, the only blemish coming in the Grade 2 Golden Rod to cap her juvenile campaign.

"She's been training extremely well," trainer Brad Cox said. "I really thought she was going into this race every bit as well as she went into the Oaks, so we had a lot of confidence in her today. She's a classy filly, I was telling somebody early she takes some training, which means when you're breezing her you kind of have to let her do her thing. She's happy going fast, and I'm happy watching her go fast."

Talk Veuve to Me, second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles last out, and multiple Grade 1 winner Moonshine Memories duked it out on the front end, alternating leads through an opening quarter-mile in 23.15 seconds and a half in 46.48. Geroux settled Monomoy Girl in the clear in third trailed by Gio Game and Caledonia Road, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2017 making just her second start this year.

Moonshine Memories began to drop back as the field left the far turn following six furlongs in 1:10.34, and Talk Veuve to Me straightened for home with the lead as Monomoy Girl ranged up to her outside. Under Geroux's encouragement, Monomoy Girl streaked past and edged clear in the final sixteenth of a mile for her third consecutive Grade 1 win.

"She is great horse especially winning Grade 1s," Geroux said. "They are very hard to win and I think she is very special. So far I think she is the leader in the 3-year-old filly division and her main goal, I think, would be the Breeders' Cup, taking on the older fillies."

Talk Veuve to Me was a decisive second, 4 ¼ lengths ahead of Gio Game. It was another 3 ½ lengths back to Moonshine Memories, followed by Caledonia Road and 40-1 long shot Starcloud, who broke slowly and was never a factor.

Racing for the first time in New York, Monomoy Girl improved her record to 7-1-0 from eight starts and earned $375,000 for the victory, growing her bankroll to $1,495,750.