Kentucky Derby update: Day after Country House retires, Bill Mott enters 2020 picture
Time for a Kentucky Derby prep trail update:
Mr. Monomoy and Modernist captured their respective divisions of the Grade 2 $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at the Fair Grounds.
Trained by Brad Cox, Mr. Monomoy won Division 1 in 1:50.42
Trained by Bill Mott, Modernist won Division 2 in 1:51.28.
Country House is retired, but Mott wins Derby prep
Mott was the controversial winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby, of course, when Maximum Security was disqualified, allowing Mott’s County House to be declared the winner. Ironically, it was announced last Friday that Country House is officially retired because of laminitis.
“Interestingly, I pulled out Country House’s past performances and this horse,” Mott said of Modernist. “When they ran the first time, when they ran the second time, when the Risen Star was — I got to looking at it and I said, ‘Boy, I could see a repeat here.’”
Interesting note: County House finished second in the 2019 Risen Star.
Owned by Pam and Martin Wygod and ridden by Junior Alvarado, Modernist is a son of Uncle Mo ran fifth and third in his two starts as a 2-year-old. The third time was the charm as he finally broke his maiden on Jan. 25 at Aqueduct before shipping to Louisiana. A 13-1 shot in the Risen Star, he won by a length over Major Fred. NY Traffic was third.
Anneau d’Or, the even-money favorite, ran a disappointing ninth after being bumped early and ending up in tight traffic wide for trainer Blaine Wright. Anneau d’Or had finished second in both the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Los Alamitos Futurity.
“He was pretty good back at the barn (after the race) and he scoped clean,” Wright said about an hour after the race. “I’m not sure what to think at this point. We will just have to re-evaluate and go from there.”
Mr. Monomoy continues family line of famous sister
Mr. Monomoy is the brother to champion filly Monomoy Girl, the 2018 Kentucky Oaks winner, who was also trained by Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux. Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Doheny Racing own the son of Palace Malice, out of the Henny Hughes mare Drumette.
After finishing fourth at Keeneland last October, Mr. Monomoy broke his maiden on Nov. 16 at Churchill Downs. He ran second in an Allowance Optional Claiming on Dec. 21, then ran third in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 18. That race was won by Enforceable.
Trained by Mark Casse, Enforceable ended up second Saturday, two-and-a-half lengths behind Mr. Monomoy. Silver State ran third for trainer Steve Asmussen. He was the 3-1 favorite, edging out Enforceable, who was 3.10-1. Mr. Monomoy was 7.5-to-1.
Cox has never saddled a horse in the Derby. But Mr. Monomoy, as well as Modernist, have 50 Kentucky Derby points. With 23 horses entering the Risen Star, the stakes was split into two divisions with 50 points going to each winner.
“It will probably be one more race before the (Kentucky) Derby,” Cox continued. “What race that will be, we don’t know yet. We just have to see how he comes out of it, see what other horses run in the next few weeks, and see how everything unfolds. We’re really happy with him.”
Gouverneur Morris wins Friday; Southwest Stakes goes Monday
▪ Oaklawn will be host to another Derby prep when the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes is run on Monday. The Cox-trained Answer In is the Morning Line favorite after finishing second in the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 15. Chase Tracker, trained by Todd Pletcher, makes his 2020 debut after running third in the Remsen. Silver Prospector, winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs in November, will try to rebound after a fourth-place finish in the Smarty Jones Stakes.
▪ Gouverneur Morris made a successful 2020 debut. The second-place finisher in last year’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, the son of Constitution won an Allowance Optional Claiming race on Friday at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Todd Pletcher. Gouverneur Morris covered the mile and 40 yards in 1:38.88.
▪ Bob Baffert’s Azul Coast won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate on Saturday. Winning on a synthetic track, Azul Coast earned 10 Derby points with the win. He also now has a free entry into the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. American Farmer ran second, with Indian Peak third.
▪ As if Baffert doesn’t have enough early possible Derby contenders, his promising three-year-old Charlatan won his debut on Sunday, taking a six-furlong rce by 5 3/4 lengths. The son of Speightstown debuted just two days before Justify’s Feb. 18 debut in 2018. Justify went on to win the Triple Crown.
This story was originally published February 16, 2020 at 4:13 PM.
