Monomoy Girl retired after sustaining injury during training Sept. 21.
Monomoy Girl , the two-time Eclipse Award winner and seven-time grade 1 winner, has been retired from racing after she was discovered to have sustained an injury during training Sept. 21 at Churchill Downs.
“Monomoy Girl went out for a routine gallop Tuesday morning and came back a little off in her right front leg. We had it X-rayed and found a non-displaced fracture of the sesamoid. Obviously, we’re very disappointed,” said trainer Brad Cox. “She’s walking sound today and it’s not anything that will require surgery. It’s just unfortunate that it will end her racing career.”
Owned by MyRacehorse, Spendthrift Farm, and Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, Monomoy Girl had been making a return to racing following a break over the spring since her narrow runner-up finish to Letruska in the April 17 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park. The 6-year-old chestnut mare retires with 14 wins and three seconds from 17 lifetime starts.
“I’m going to miss having her around and not being able to put a saddle on her again, but Monomoy Girl owes us nothing,” said Cox. “She’s an unbelievable mare and will always hold a special place in my heart as our first (Kentucky) Oaks (G1) winner, Breeders’ Cup winner, and champion. She will go to Spendthrift to start her breeding career and I’m sure she’ll be an awesome mom.”
Spendthrift’s Ned Toffey said that Monomoy Girl is expected to come to the Lexington-based farm this week to settle into her new career as a future broodmare. Breeding plans have not yet been determined for the daughter of Tapizar.
“Certainly, we are disappointed, especially for all of our partners,” said Toffey. “While we were hopeful to get her back to the races this year, we won’t lose focus on what is most important and that is a healthy Monomoy Girl. She’s an all-time great and we look forward to the next chapter of her career and giving her a great life on the farm at Spendthrift.”
FPF and Highfield Ranch bred Monomoy Girl in Kentucky out of the Henny Hughes mare Drumette, who later produced grade 2 winner Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice ). Monomoy Girl was consigned by Gainesway to the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was purchased by BSW Bloodstock/Liz Crow, agent, for $100,000.
A stakes winner at 2, Monomoy Girl went on to capture four consecutive grade 1 victories as a 3-year-old—the Central Bank Ashland, Longines Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, and Coaching Club America Oaks—for Michael Dubb, Kumin’s Monomoy Stables, Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group, and Mike Caruso’s Bethlehem Stables. She returned to Churchill Downs later in the year to become just the 11th 3-year-old to win the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), earning her first Eclipse Award as the 2018 champion 3-year-old filly.
Setbacks caused Monomoy Girl to miss a 4-year-old campaign, however, she returned at 5 in career form, ripping off four straight wins and punctuating a perfect season with another Breeders’ Cup Distaff triumph last November at Keeneland. She earned her second Eclipse Award, this time as the 2020 champion older dirt female. One race prior to her second Distaff victory, she won the La Troienne Stakes Presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming (G1), which was conducted in September at Churchill Downs instead of its normal spring date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monomoy Girl set a world record last fall after selling for $9.5 million to Spendthrift as a racing/broodmare prospect at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s select breeding stock sale in Lexington, where she was consigned by ELiTE. Spendthrift elected to keep her in training and partnered with MyRacehorse to offer microshare ownership in the superstar racemare for her 2021 campaign. Monomoy Girl won the Feb. 28 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn in her seasonal debut before her nose defeat to divisional front-runner Letruska.
With earnings of $4,776,818, Monomoy Girl ranks as the fifth highest-earning dirt female of all time, joining an illustrious top five list that includes Midnight Bisou , Zenyatta , Beholder (another Spendthrift mare), and Royal Delta.