Cox boasts Oaks duo of favorite Monomoy Girl, Sassy Sienna

Associated PressMay 4, 2018, 2:31 PM EDT

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Kentucky Oaks favorite Monomoy Girl has been impressive, winning five of six starts by a combined 20 1/2 lengths.

Trainer Brad Cox believes the filly can run even better. Monomoy Girl isn’t the only horse in the field Cox will have an eye on.

He is just as excited about Sassy Sienna, who boasts a solid resume even with fewer victories. Sassy Sienna and Monomoy Girl will be bookend competitors with different prospects in Friday’s $1 million race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.

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Monomoy Girl is the 2-1 favorite in the 1 1/8 mile race and will start from the outside post. Sassy Sienna will begin on the rail at 15-1 but could set the early pace in the 14-horse field that includes 5-2 second choice Midnight Bisou, winner of three in a row.

Cox is anxious to see how his inside-outside combination performs in a race that will go a long way toward determining the year’s top filly.

“Sassy will be close,” said Cox, who also has a third entrant in 30-1 longshot Kelly’s Humor. “Her and Monomoy have similar styles as far as where we would like for them to be placed in the race.

“Obviously, there’s going to be concern with one being caught wide in the first turn and the other one hopefully getting a clean run.”

So far, Monomoy Girl has done well separating from competitors in most situations with jockey Florent Geroux aboard.

The chestnut filly has started two 2018 races as the favorite and won both, taking last month’s Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland by 5 1/2 lengths after winning the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra by 2 1/2 at Fair Grounds in Louisiana in February. Her lone setback was a second in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes last November at Churchill Downs, which seems far from where she is now.

“I’m looking for a big effort from her,” Cox said of Monomoy Girl. “She’s showing the signs that she’s definitely ready to run with her breezes, her gallops, her energy level. We’re extremely happy with where she as far as fitness and health and coat.”

Sassy Sienna earned her second victory as a 3-year-old on April 13 in the Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens aboard. Cox hopes the dark brown filly can use her speed entering the first turn to avoid being crowded against the rail.

Despite Cox’s optimistic outlook for those horses, most of the attention in the Oaks will likely focus on Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, the race’s only entrants with single-digit odds.

Midnight Bisou will start from the No. 10 post. Her 160 Oaks qualifying points were just six more than Monomoy Girl, and the filly won last month’s Santa Anita Oaks by 3 1/2 lengths.

Trainer William Spawr’s pupil has won by a combined 10 1/4 lengths during its surge and will enter its next challenge with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, 52, making his fourth straight start aboard the horse. Smith won last year’s Oaks aboard Abel Tasman and seeks to become the first rider since Eddie Arcaro (1951-53) to win in consecutive years.

Bob Baffert prepared filly Rayya for the Oaks, but isn’t sure how the Kentucky-bred horse will perform stateside after running primarily in the United Arab Emirates. The trainer believes the guidance of Smith – who will ride Kentucky Derby favorite Justify for Baffert on Saturday – and Midnight Bisou’s streak might provide a slight advantage against Monomoy Girl.

“She has the right style to just sit out there, and Mike Smith is on her,” Baffert said. “I just see two horses there.”

Preakness winner National Treasure has final workout for Belmont Stakes

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 2:01 PM EDT

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK — Preakness winner National Treasure breezed five furlongs in his final workout for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes this weekend.

Working on the main track at Belmont Park with exercise rider Erick Garcia aboard, National Treasure was timed in 59.55 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven furlongs in 1:25.20. It was the second workout on the track for the Bob Baffert-trained colt.

“He worked very well this morning,” said Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s top assistant. “It’s a big track and you can find yourself lost out there. Erick did an excellent job working him and now we’re just waiting for the race.”

National Treasure was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby before the Preakness on May 20.

Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Red Route One also posted his final work for the final jewel of the Triple Crown, breezing a half-mile in 50.20 seconds over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.

“I thought he went beautiful,” said Toby Sheets, Asmussen’s Belmont-based assistant. “It was nice and fluid and he came back with good energy. I’m very happy with him. We wanted to be out on the track before it got really busy.”

Red Route One finished fourth in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course, almost five lengths behind National Treasure.

Kentucky Derby winner Mage is not running in the Belmont Stakes.

Churchill Downs moves meet to Ellis Park to examine protocols following 12 horse deaths

Associated PressJun 2, 2023, 6:39 PM EDT

Michael Clevenger and Erik Mohn/USA TODAY NETWORK

Churchill Downs will suspend racing and move the remainder of its spring meet to Ellis Park in order to conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of safety and surface protocols in the wake of 12 horse fatalities the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

No single factor has been identified as a potential cause for the fatalities or pattern detected, according to a release, but the decision was made to relocate the meet “in an abundance of caution.”

“What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in Friday’s release. “We need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.”

Racing will continue at Churchill Downs through Sunday before shifting to the CDI-owned racing and gaming facility in Henderson, Kentucky. Ellis Park’s meet was scheduled to start July 7 and run through Aug. 27 but will now expand with Friday’s announcement.

Ellis Park will resume racing on June 10.

The move comes a day after track superintendent Dennis Moore conducted a second independent analysis of Churchill Downs’ racing and training surfaces as part of an emergency summit called this week by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with the track and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Meetings took place in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Louisville track.

The head of the federally created oversight agency suggested ahead of the summit that it could recommend pausing the meet and that Churchill Downs would accept that recommendation.

Churchill Downs’ release stated that expert testing raised no concerns and concluded that the surface was consistent with the track’s prior measurements. Even so, it chose to relocate “in alignment” with HISA’s recommendation to suspend the meet to allow more time for additional investigation.

“We appreciate their thoughtfulness and cooperation through these challenging moments,” HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in a statement. “We will continue to seek answers and work with everyone involved to ensure that horses are running safely at Churchill Downs again in the near future.”

Carstanjen insisted that relocating the remainder of the spring meet to Ellis Park would maintain the industry ecosystem with minor disruption. He also said he was grateful to Kentucky horsemen for their support as they work to find answers.

Rick Hiles, the president of Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, questioned the move, especially since there’s no conclusive evidence that Churchill Downs’ surface is the problem.

“We all want to find solutions that will improve safety for horses,” Hiles said in a statement. “However, we need to discuss allowing trainers and veterinarians to use therapeutic medications that greatly lessen the risk of breakdowns.

“Drastic steps, such as relocating an active race meet, should only be considered when it is certain to make a difference.”

The latest development comes a day after Churchill Downs and HISA each implemented safety and performance standards to address the spate of deaths.

HISA will conduct additional post-entry screening of horses to identify those at increased risk for injury. Its Integrity and Welfare Unit also will collect blood and hair samples for all fatalities for use while investigating a cause.

Churchill Downs announced it would immediately limit horses to four starts during a rolling eight-week period and impose ineligibility standards for poor performers. The track is also pausing incentives, such as trainer start bonuses and limiting purse payouts to the top five finishers instead of every finisher.