Our Pretty Woman victorious in the Monomoy Girl Overnight (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Courtlandt Farms’ promising 3-year-old filly Our Pretty Woman rebounded from an 11th place finish in the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) to collect her first stakes win with a three-quarters of a length triumph over Intricate in the third running of the $173,700 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes on Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by Luis Saez, Our Pretty Woman clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.07.
Our Pretty Woman, who qualified to the Kentucky Oaks with a second-place finish to Tarifa in March’s Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), relaxed in third position after the break as Lucky Speech led the compact field of five 3-year-old fillies with Merasol Sugar in close pursuit through leisurely fractions of :25.08 and :49.96.
“I wanted to make sure she stayed close,” Saez said. “There wasn’t a lot of speed in the race. We were in a good spot around the first turn and she settled well on the backside.”
Merasol Sugar pulled her way to the front into the final turn but Our Pretty Woman quickly ranged into contention as the field hit the top of the stretch in 1:13.98. Merasol Sugar began to tire with three-sixteenths of mile to run and Our Pretty Woman opened up by 1 ½ lengths as Intricate, the Golden Rod (GII) winner and Rachel Alexandra (GII) runner-up, hit her best stride late. Our Pretty Woman had enough to left to turn back the late run.
“Down the stretch she finished up well,” Saez said. “She’s a very nice filly and I’m proud of her effort tonight.”
The triumph was worth $107,200 and boosted Our Pretty Woman’s bankroll to $272,400 from a record of 3-1-0 in five starts.
“I thought Luis did a good job around the first turn to get her into a close spot with the way the pace shaped up,” said Asmussen’s chief assistant Scott Blasi. “She’s a very talented 3-year-old filly. There are a lot of races around the country that she’d fit in for the rest of the summer and fall. We’ll enjoy this race tonight and look forward to what could be next for her.”
Our Pretty Woman is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Speightstown mare Dazzletown. She was bred by Woods Edge Farm LLC and Godolphin.
Our Pretty Woman, the even-money favorite, returned $4.02, $2.44 and $2.10. Intricate, second in the betting at odds of 2-1 under Tyler Gaffalione, returned $3.12 and $2.20 and finished 2 ½ lengths in front of 5-2 Band of Gold who paid $2.18 to show under Brian Hernandez Jr.
Merasol Sugar finished fourth and Lucky Speech was fifth. Promisemeanempire was scratched.
The Monomoy Girl honors the stellar champion mare who was conditioned by Brad Cox. Monomoy Girl, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapizar, won 14 of her 17 starts with three seconds for earnings of $4,776,818 from 2017-21. At Churchill Downs, she won six of seven starts including victories in 2017 Rags to Riches, 2018 Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), 2018 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) and 2020 La Troienne (GI). Monomoy Girl also won the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) at Keeneland. Her owners from the outset were Michael Dubb and Monomoy Stables LLC, and she concluded her career under the partnership of My Racehorse Stable, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables LLC.
Racing at Churchill Downs continues Sunday with an 11-race Father’s Day program that begins at 12:45 p.m. ET.
