Cox Keeping Options Open With Risen Star Winner Mr. Monomoy, Champion British Idiom

2-15-2020 – Mr. Monomoy with jockey Florent Geroux aboard wins the 1st division of the 48th running of the Grade II Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Jan Brubaker

Brad Cox, trainer of Mr. Monomoy who broke well and was able to clear early in the first division of Saturday’s G2 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds, taking the field wire to wire and earning 50 more points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The half-brother to champion Monomoy Girl currently sits in first on the Derby leaderboard with a total of 52 points.

“He looked really good back in the barn,” Cox said. “He was full of himself this morning and I was very pleased with how he came back after the race and earlier this morning.”

“We’ll talk about where to go next with him,” Cox continued. “The Louisiana Derby is a logical spot but there are certainly other options with him. We’ll get him back to the track and try to make a decision in the near future and come up with a game plan. We’re going to let the dust settle and let everyone kind of catch their breath. Maybe in a week or so we will start putting together the game plan.”

Cox is also the trainer of 2-Year-old Filly Champion British Idiom, who was making her first start since her Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) triumph and finished a solid second behind Finite in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2). The placing earned her 20 points, making a total of 50 points on the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G2) leaderboard.

“She had a little bit of a rough trip into the first turn,” Cox said. “I don’t think it was the difference between winning and losing but it did affect her a little bit. I really think she needed this race. The mile and a sixteenth distance at the Fair Grounds, especially for a 3-year-old filly coming off a layoff is really demanding. Javier (Castellano, jockey) was really pleased with her and thought that she is already maturing from a 2-year-old to a 3-year-old as far as how she acted before the race and even during the race. She was just second best yesterday, but she came back well and looked good this morning.”

“There’s really only two spots with her going forward,” Cox continued. “The Ashland (G1) at Keenland (April 4, 1 1/16th miles) and the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) (March 21, 1 1/16th miles). She likes both racetracks, she’s moved well over this track at Fair Grounds and also has a good race over the Keenland racetrack. We’re going to let the dust settle with her as well and come up with a game plan.”