Expert Pick of the Week: 2023 Monomoy Girl Stakes

Jun 15, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A total of six sophomore fillies will travel one mile on the Ellis Park
main surface in Saturday’s $175,000 Monomoy Girl S. The Brad Cox-trained
Wet Paint was last seen finishing a solid fourth in the recent Kentucky Oaks (G1) when sent postward as the favorite, and the filly returns in a
sensible spot for her local debut. She is the Expert Pick of the Week.

By Blame, the three-year-old burst onto the scene in 2023 with a fine
score in the Martha Washington S., which was followed by clear tallies
in the Honeybee S. (G3) and Fantasy S. (G3). The Godolphin homebred
possesses a potent turn of foot and didn’t run a bad one at Churchill
Downs in her first try at 1 1/8 miles, falling just a neck shy of the show
spot.

Wet Paint will cut back in distance on Saturday, which could enhance her
late kick, and drawing the rail is a very important thing at this
distance, where the lass will be saving ground every step of the way. The
classy sort has posted a trio of solid morning drills in advance of
this affair, and she figures to run them all down inside the final
furlong with Tyler Gaffalione in the silks.

Golden Rod S. (G2) heroine Hoosier Philly was a dominant juvenile when
going 3-for-3 with relative ease for conditioner Tom Amoss, but
her sophomore campaign got off to a slow start. The $510,000 yearling
purchase was distant when third in the Rachel Alexandra S. (G2) and
fourth in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), though the daughter of Into
Mischief turned it around at Pimlico last time out.

The Kentucky-bred gained the edge soon after the start and stayed on to
finish a clear second in the Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2), and improvement
is more than possible as she retreats to the one-mile distance on
Saturday. Regular pilot Edgar Morales will be in the stirrups and
figures to place the accomplished filly on the front end early in a race
lacking a plethora of pace.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #1 Wet Paint on top of #4 Hoosier Philly in the 2023 Monomoy Girl S. is the Best Bet of the Week.