Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, has been entered for her long anticipated return and will headline Churchill Downs‘ May 16 opening day card.
One of seven fillies and mares entered in Saturday’s fourth race, an $85,000 one-mile allowance optional claiming event on the main track, Monomoy Girl will be making her first start since winning the 2018 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), which was hosted at Churchill Downs that year. The Tapizar mare, now 5, missed her 4-year-old season due to a bout of colic and a pulled hamstring.
“With a horse like this, you don’t have many options at all, so this probably made the most sense as far as a comeback race. It’s there and I feel like it’s the right distance,” trainer Brad Cox said. “It’s a lot to ask a horse to run off a year and a half layoff regardless of what kind of race you come back in. She’s obviously trained well or else we wouldn’t be running her. We’re happy with how she’s doing and hopefully this leads to bigger and better things throughout the year.”
Campaigned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl has won nine of 11 career starts—including five grade 1 races at 3—and has two runner-up finishes on her record. In one of those seconds, the Cotillion Stakes (G1), she crossed the wire first but was placed second by the stewards for interference.