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Monomoy Girl has trainer Brad Cox excited for future landing spots

by NYRA Press Office

• Midnight Bisou exits G1 Coaching Club American Oaks in good order
• Rain won't deter Manitoulin from G2 Bowling Green; Hawkish aimed at fall campaign
• Australian import Sarrasin readies for step up in class in G2 Bowling Green
• La Moneda continues to impress, eyes stakes debut next out

Fresh off her fourth consecutive Grade 1 win in Sunday's $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, Monomoy Girl was resting in her Saratoga stall as trainer Brad Cox said she came out of her three-length victory over Midnight Bisou in good order.

"It was a big effort and she ran the race we thought she would," Cox said. "She controlled things up front and was where we wanted to be. She'll get at least three days off and maybe [return to the track] Thursday or Friday. She was a little [tired] this morning, but she deserves to be."

Monomoy Girl solidified her spot atop the 3-year-old filly division in improving to 5-for-5 in her current campaign. The daughter of Tapizar has eight wins in nine career starts, with the only losing effort being a second-place finish by a neck in the Grade 2 Golden Rod in November at Churchill Downs.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl has racked up wins this year in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra, Grade 1 Ashland, Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and Grade 1 Acorn before winning her Spa debut.

Cox said there is a chance Monomoy Girl stays in Saratoga to run in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama on August 18, but is more likely to run in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing on September 22 as she gears up for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill on November 3.

"There's always a chance, we'll talk it over with the owners and come up with a game plan," Cox said. "We'll see who else may come for the Alabama. But with the schedule and the Breeders' Cup Distaff being $2 million, you have to take your shot at getting her there."

Monomoy Girl is the leading contender to win the Eclipse Award for top 3-year-old filly. But Cox said the potential of an undefeated season that could include six Grade 1 wins might allow her to challenge for an even bigger prize against a stellar field that will include Triple Crown-winner Justify.

"It's probably a little far-fetched, but if she can win the Cotillion and the Distaff and have an undefeated year, could she be Horse of the Year? I don't know, she might get a vote or two," Cox said with a smile. 

Cox said he briefly considered running Monomoy Girl against males in the Grade 1 Haskell on July 29 at Monmouth Park. When asked if he would entertain the thought of running her in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 25, he did not shoot down the idea.

"We'll see," Cox said. "I never say never. We're not saying no to the Alabama completely, [but] the original plan was Cotillion and the plan has worked out extremely well to this point. We're probably not going to deviate from it, but we'll see how things play out for a week or two."

Cox said Long On Value and Will Call are pointing towards the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf on August 5. 

Long On Value, the winner of the Grade 1 Highlander last out on June 30 at Woodbine, breezed four furlongs in 49.41 seconds on the Oklahoma training track Saturday. Will Call, who won his last stakes appearance in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint on May 4 at Churchill, went four furlongs in 51.02 seconds on the training track as well.

"They're both coming out of their works in good order and I'm excited about both of them," Cox said.

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Midnight Bisou exits G1 Coaching Club American Oaks in good order

Midnight Bisou came out of her runner-up effort to Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on Monday in good order, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said at his barn on a rainy Monday morning.

"She ran hard and ran into a good filly. We'll hope to do better in the future," Asmussen said.

Under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Midnight Bisou challenged Monomoy Girl at the top of the stretch, closing to within a half-length before Monomoy Girl extended away to win by three. Midnight Bisou, who was coming off a six-length win in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 30 at Belmont, finished 3 ½ lengths in front of Chocolate Martini for second.

The Midnight Lute filly has never finished off the board in eight career starts, going 4-3-1 for earnings of $751,000.

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Rain won't deter Manitoulin from G2 Bowling Green; Hawkish aimed at fall campaign

Trainer Jimmy Toner said Darby Dan Farm's Grade 2 winner Manitoulin will train up to Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green after Monday's scheduled turf works were postponed until Tuesday due to persistent rain in the Saratoga area.

"He was due to breeze, but they cancelled the turf works," said Toner. "He's good to go though. He doesn't need anything and it'll be too close to the race to breeze him."

In his most recent start, the 5-year-old Awesome Again gelding was beaten three-quarters of a length in the Grade 1 Manhattan on June 9 at odds of 30-1 behind winner Spring Quality. In the Bowling Green, Manitoulin is expected to face fellow Manhattan graduates Sadler's Joy and Hi Happy, who finished second and third, respectively.

Toner said Hawkish, a 3-year-old gelding by Artie Schiller owned by Robert LaPenta, AJ Suited Racing Stable, and Madaket Stables, emerged in good order following his seventh-place finish under jockey Manny Franco in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 7 won by the LaPenta-owned Catholic Boy for trainer Jonathan Thomas.

An impressive winner of the Grade 2 Penn Mile two starts back on June 2, Hawkish is likely to make a fall return to the races, said Toner, with the Grade 2, $500,000 Hill Prince at 1 1/8 miles on the turf October 6 at Belmont Park high on the list of possible comeback races.

"He came out of [the Belmont Derby] fine," noted Toner. "He had a couple of tough races in a row. I just didn't feel like that was his best effort in the Derby. He didn't seem like himself in that spot. He had some issues in the race but he wasn't taking Manny there. He was having to put him there, so I figure the best thing to do is to take a break right now. We're just going to back up on him a bit, freshen him up here and then go from there in the fall."

On Monday, July 30, Toner will saddle Sean Shay's 3-year-old filly Mominou for her stakes debut in the $100,000 Coronation Cup for sophomore fillies at 5 ½ furlongs on the grass. By Congrats, Mominou has two wins and two seconds in four starts since switching to the turf this spring. She faced rivals her own age in both of her wins, while her runner-up efforts came against older fillies and mares.

"It'll be nice to run against 3-year-olds," said Toner. "She's been having to run against 4-year-olds. She was second last time against older horses and she won before that. She's been consistent since Florida. She's won two and had two seconds in her last four starts. She's pretty good."

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Australian import Sarrasin readies for step up in class in G2 Bowling Green

Australian Racing Stables' Sarrasin is expected to make his second United States start in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green for older horses running 1 3/8 miles over the Saratoga turf course.

After arriving in New York on June 24, Sarrasin made his North American debut with an eighth-place finish in an allowance optional claimer on July 7 at Belmont Park. Jarred Cretzee, assistant to trainer Richard Freedman, said there were variables to the 6-year-old's performance that included the heat, the quick pace, and distance.

"He came out of Australia in the winter into a heat wave at Belmont," Cretzee said. "He took a big knock there. We wanted to give him a preparational run, so we put him in a mile. He ran off his legs early on. We underestimated the speed in a race going a mile. It was an educational run."

Cretzee said they will run Sarrasin with blinkers in the Bowling Green after he responded well to them training on the Oklahoma dirt and turf courses.

"I have been trying to keep him happy with his routine," Cretzee said. "He was a lot more focused when I tried the blinkers on him. We want to get him more involved in the race rather than trailing the field. He can get distracted and start looking around."

Both of Sarrasin's victories were achieved at 1 ½ miles, but Cretzee said the Bowling Green's distance can make him a contender based on his running style.

"If he doesn't win it, we want to see him be amongst the finishers," Cretzee said. "We have to see how he performs as we move forward. Ideally, we would like to get into the [Grade 1, $1 million] Sword Dancer [on August 25]. He's a mile-and-a-half horse. I think he will run a better race. My only concern may be the tight turns, but he has handled it well during training."

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La Moneda continues to impress, eyes stakes debut next out

Wheeling off her third consecutive allowance victory this summer for owner-breeder Patricia Mosley and trainer Tom Morley, 5-year-old New York-bred mare La Moneda continued to impress, besting a field of seven on Sunday to win by 1 ¾ lengths on the inner turf course listed as good.

"First, I'm delighted for her owner and breeder Patricia," said Morley. "She got a tough trip the day before in the [Grade 1] Diana with Proctor's Ledge [which she also owns], so I was absolutely thrilled for her to win at Saratoga and see that filly go and do that. It's not easy for a New York-bred to do what she's done this summer. She's been faultless and keeps stepping up against better and better horses."

A daughter of Freud, La Moneda made her debut at Saratoga last year as a 4-year-old and broke her maiden in September 2017 at Belmont Park. Since then, she has won four of six starts, and will next target her first stakes assignment, said Morley, who cited both the $150,000 Yaddo for New York-breds on August 24 or the Grade 2, $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa on Travers Day August 25 as options.

"She started her career late," said Morley. "She debuted here last year as a 4-year-old, she had some niggling issues at two and three, but at the moment she's a very, very happy and sound filly. That's another testament to her owner. She was patient enough to let the filly get healthy and sound. 

"Yesterday, I thought was the best I've ever seen her look in the paddock and hopefully we can take another step forward," he added. "The waters are going to get even tougher now. She's not having hard races either, I know we've run her a lot so far this summer, but she's winning them relatively comfortably. The Yaddo is a strong possibility. It'll either be that or the Ballston Spa. We'll nominate her to both and have a look, but that's the game plan."