Monomoy Girl wins Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs

In front of a crowd of over 113,000, the Brad Cox trained filly fought out a terrific duel down the final stretch with Wonder Gadot before claiming victory by half a length.

It was a memorable success for Cox from Louisville whose only previous Grade 1 success came from the same filly in last month’s Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, even if his horse had to survive an inquiry. The runner-up’s jockey John Velazquez lodged an objection against the winner for alleged interference inside the final furlong, and although Monomoy Girl did shift out, it was deemed she did not check her rival’s progress and the result stood.

The winner and second favourite for the race was ridden hard by Florent Geroux to get a position from the outside gate in a 14-runner field. Together they dictated the pace well before taking command on the far turn, only for Wonder Gadot to launch a fierce challenge in the stretch. She got along, but Monomoy Girl pulled out more to edge out her rival and win by a half-length to take her career record to six wins from seven starts. The race favourite Midnight Bisou closed late and wide to take third place nearly four lengths adrift.

Speaking afterwards, Cox, who grew up close to Churchill Downs and said, “She’s just blessed with an unbelievable amount of talent.”

“What a horserace. She really had to battle – two really nice fillies hooked up at the quarter pole and she dug in.”

Winning jockey Geroux, who is best known for his association with Gun Runner, said, “The filly was sharp early and I just hustled her out of the gate to get a good position.

“From there I was pretty confident, but when I hit the quarter pole, her ears were flopping back and forth and she tried putting the brakes on me until she saw Wonder Gadot.

“You can get after her too much and she stops. I kept hand riding her and she pulled away at the end.”

The only disappointment of the race came in the form of UAE Derby runner-up Rayya, who fell out of the stalls and beat only one home.

In the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming tried to make all the running before fading tamely in the stretch for his fifth successive defeat since his famous win a year ago at Churchill Downs.

Instead it was Chad Brown’s four-year-old Backyard Heaven, ridden by Irad Ortiz, who pressed the leader and then drew away smoothly to win by four and a half lengths from Hawaakom on his Graded-stakes debut.

A very moderate pace proved the undoing of last year’s Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman in the La Troienne Stakes as the favourite was unable to quicken in the stretch on her seasonal debut. She finished only fourth behind old rival Salty as the winner wore down front-running Farrell to win by a steady length and three-quarters margin.

Focus now turns to today’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs where a battle is expected between the Aiden O’Brien-trained Mendelssohn, who will bid to become the first European-trained winner of the famous race, and the Bob Baffert-trained colt Justify.