Trainer Brad Cox has a Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and three Breeders’ Cup victories on his resume, and in 2019 he was a finalist for an Eclipse Award. Following Saturday’s victory in the first division of the Risen Star (G2) presented by Lamarque Ford-Lincoln with Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Doheny Racing’s Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice – Drumette, by Henny Hughes), it looks like a first ever Kentucky Derby (G1) presented by Woodford Reserve starter is in his immediate future.
Never before run at 1 1/8 miles, the Risen Star was split for the first time since the Kentucky Derby points system was implemented in 2013. Both divisions carried a $400,000 purse and offered 85 (50-20-10-5) Kentucky Derby points.
No Risen Star Stakes winner has ever won the Kentucky Derby.
Leading his fellow three-year-olds through fractions of 24.22 and 48.57, Mr. Monomoy, a half-brother to the champion Monomoy Girl, disposed of Blackberry Wine at the top of the stretch, and then held off the late advances of both Lecomte (G3) winner Enforceable (20 Derby points) and Lecomte runner-up Silver State (10 Derby points) to win by 2 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:50.43 for 1 1/8 miles, which was nearly a second faster than division two winner Modernist (1:51.28). Farmington Road earned five Derby points for finishing fourth.
The winning Beyer Speed Figure was 92.
“We had a really good start out of the gate,” jockey Florent Geroux said of the son of Palace Malice. “I was thinking about stalking, but when I saw no one was really going for the lead I took advantage and went for it. It worked really nicely for me. He’s still learning but he showed me a lot today, I’m really happy with him.”
Following a third place run in Lecomte over 1 1/16 miles last month, Cox openly questioned his colt’s ability to run successfully over a distance of ground, but Mr. Monomoy flipped that narrative on Saturday.
“He galloped out well the last time (in the Lecomte) which helped me to think he could get this distance,” Cox said. “I thought the draw today (post nine) gave him the opportunity to break and clear if he wanted, and obviously he was willing to do it. Florent put him in a great spot and he stepped up to the plate today and proved that he belongs.”
With 52 total points, Mr. Monomoy now tops the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard. The Risen Star improves his record to 5-2-1-1 with earnings of $327,162.
“It will probably be one more race before the (Kentucky) Derby,” Cox continued. “What race that will be, we don’t know yet. We just have to see how he comes out of it, see what other horses run in the next few weeks, and see how everything unfolds. We’re really happy with him.”
Off a step slow and wide on both turns, Enforceable, trained by Mark Casse, closed well to be second. He now has 33 Derby points, which in most years would earn him a spot in the 20-horse starting gate.
Mr. Monomoy was tracked down as an unraced fellow by Sol Kumin, who raced millionaire Monomoy Girl.
“He was bought as a weanling (for $60,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale) and somehow ended up in France and Sol Kumin purchased him,” said Brad Cox. ” Sol called me and said he just purchased Monomoy Girl’s brother out of a sale in France. I said, ‘Man, you don’t miss much do you?’
“He sent the horse over to Bruce Jackson at Fair Hill and Bruce spent some time with him and did a good job. He came to us somewhat of an immature horse but has really picked up. He’s by Palace Malice and has really taken to the dirt well as the pedigree suggested. I don’t really know how he ended up in a sale in France breezing on the turf but it worked out well for those guys selling him in France and I think it’ll work out well for us, too.”
Mr. Monomoy sold at the 2019 Arqana May Sale for $202,230.
Second division
In the second division of the Risen Star, Pam and Martin Wygod’s Modernist (Uncle Mo – Symbolic Gesture, by Bernardini) pressed early fractions of 24.38 and 48.57 from the inside, took over at the top of the stretch, and then held off the late advances of Major Fed (20 Derby points) to win by 1 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:51.28. The pacesetting NY Traffic (ten Derby points) held on well for third, and Mailman Money (five Derby points) was fourth. Following a troubled run into the first turn, the even-money favorite Anneau d’Or finished ninth.
Modernist posted an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I took advantage of being drawn on the rail,” Alvarado said of the son of Uncle Mo. “He put me in a good spot early on and when I asked for more, he gave it to me. I’ve always been high on him. I think he’s still learning how to be a race horse but he has so much talent and I’m really proud of him.”
One year ago, trainer Bill Mott watched his Country House finish second behind War of Will in the Risen Star, and that recently retired colt would later become the adjudicated winner of the Kentucky Derby.
“Interestingly, I pulled out Country House’s past performances and this horse’s past performances and they were similar,” Mott said. “When they ran the first time, when they ran the second time, when the Risen Star was. I got to looking at it and I said, ‘boy, I could see a repeat here’.’”
Entering the race off a maiden win at Aqueduct last month in just his third start, Modernist now boasts a record of 4-2-0-1 with earnings of $288,800. The 50 Kentucky Derby points he earned places him second behind Mr. Monomoy on the current leaderboard.
“He won at a mile and an eighth in New York to break his maiden and has progressed really well in this early part of his three-year-old year,” Mott said. “He’s become more mature and has been more professional about everything. I couldn’t be more delighted with how he acted in the paddock and post parade. I told Junior (Alvarado, jockey) to take advantage of the one hole. The horse handled everything really well.”
“I think the (Fair Grounds) idea to make this race a 1 1/8 miles was s really good move,” Mott continued. “It gives us a chance to go nine furlongs this early in the season and it’s hard to find that. Obviously more than twenty horses wanted to run so it gave all of us a great opportunity.”
Off a local maiden win from just two career starts, the Greg Foley-trained Major Fed, by Ghostzapper from a Smart Strike mare, loomed boldly at the top of the stretch before settling for second.
“He ran a great race,” jockey Julien Leparoux said. “We had a great trip and I thought I was going to win for a second, but he got a little tired at the end. He still showed a ton of heart and I’m proud of him.”
Bet down to even money favoritism off runner-up performances in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), the California invader Anneau d’Or finished a head-scratching ninth.
“He was pretty good back at the barn (after the race) and he scoped clean” trainer Blaine Wright said about an hour after the race. “I’m not sure what to think at this point. We will just have to re-evaluate and go from there.”
Finite upsets British Idiom in Rachel Alexandra
British Idiom stepped into the ring as the champ, but in the end, it was Winchell Thoroughbreds and J. R Thomas’ Finite (Munnings-Remit by Tapit) who would score the knockout blow in Saturday’s Rachel Alexandra (G2) presented by Fasig-Tipton at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Sent off as the 5-2 second choice in the 1 1/16 mile race for 3-year-old fillies, Finite found herself in a clear, stalking position behind the front-running His Glory through honest fractions of 24.20 and 47.92. Inching closer while three-wide on the turn for home, she took command at the top of the stretch and extended her advantage to the finish line, scoring by a 4 ¾ lengths over the 4-5 favorite British Idiom in a final time of 1:43.97 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track. It was 1 ¾ lengths back to Swiss Skydiver in third (earned ten Oaks points), and a neck to Tempers Rising (earned five Oaks points) in fourth.
Finite earned a 90 Beyer Figure according to Daily Racing Form.
“She was really ready and cranked for today,” jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. said. “I knew turning for home I had a lot of horse under me. She responded right when I asked her and she’s just such a fighter.”
The Rachel Alexandra marked the fifth consecutive victory for the homebred daughter of Munnings, who earned 50 points on the Road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). She now sits atop the leaderboard with 70. There’s seemingly no end to Finite’s winning ways.
“I think that last race (narrow win in the Silverbulletday) put us in this position,” trainer Steve Asmussen said of Saturday’s dominant performance. “This race (the Rachel Alexandra) has obviously been a producer of really nice fillies and I think we have something to work with now. She’s always been a really game filly who has shown a lot of heart.”
Asmussen has now won the Rachel Alexandra five times. Four of those victories have come with Winchell homebreds and two of those, Untapable (2014) and Summerly (2005), would go on to win the Kentucky Oaks.
“We’re hoping this filly can stay sound and keep running well and hopefully follow that same path,” Asmussen said when asked about a potential run for Finite in the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) on March 21.
In what was her first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita en route to Eclipse Award honors as Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, British Idiom steadied early, was wide on both turns and finished willingly. She earned 20 Kentucky Oaks points, giving her a total of 50. Regular rider Javier Castellano wasn’t the least bit discouraged.
“I am really happy with how she did it today,” Castellano said. “We were second best but I think she ran a good race. Finite has been running consistently. We’ve been off since Breeders’ Cup so she needed this race. I think next time will be a different story.”
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