Monomoy Girl was named 3-Year-Old Filly of the Year at the 2018 Eclipse Awards, the annual event to honor achievements in Thoroughbred racing.
Though she lost out on Horse of the Year honors to Justify, Monomoy Girl’s owners, Stuart Grant, Michael Dubb, Michael Caruso and Sol Kumin, couldn’t be happier with their prize filly – only the third filly to win both the Breeder’s Cup Distaff and the Kentucky Oaks in the same year.
Monomoy Girl Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in Runaway Vote https://t.co/mTUI6Uv69z via @BloodHorse #TeamCox
— Brad H. Cox Racing (@bradcoxracing) January 25, 2019
Grant, who co-founded the Wilmington law firm Grant & Eisenhofer P.A., bought his first racehorse in 2002. While he has had substantial success in the courtroom, Grant said he considers the Eclipse Award to be one of his proudest moments.
Grant has since retired from the law firm and has moved to other ventures.
“Monomoy Girl has raw talent, but it takes an incredible team to get to this level. The Eclipse Award is a symbol of our collective work and dedication,” said Grant. “2018 was an inflection point in the sport for me. I made a strategic decision to trim my racing stock and focus on higher quality horses like Monomoy Girl through partnerships with friends like Michael Dubb, Michael Caruso and Sol Kumin. At the same time, through my home-breds and my training and breeding farms, I can still provide opportunities to up-and-coming talent within the sport.”
In addition to Monomoy Girl’s almost perfect season for trainer Brad Cox – she won 6 of 7 starts in 2018, with only a disqualification marring her perfect record – Grant’s racing portfolio also had some other significant wins throughout the 2018 season.
Other 2018 notables include Celestial Insight, a Graded Stakes placed daughter of the formidable Scat Daddy, Just Talkin, the full-sister to millionaire Lady Shipman, and Social Paranoia who finished his 2-year-old season with a 3rd in the G3 Pilgrim for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Grant’s home-breds, born at his C-Dog Farm in Chesapeake City, MD, are beginning their careers at The Camden Training Center in Camden, SC. He keeps a broodmare band of 25 and breeds both to race and sell at public auction.
Through his I Could Do Great Things Foundation, each year Grant offers University of Delaware students a paid internship at The Elkstone Group’s training facility, Camden Training Center. This 10-week opportunity provides a look at the world of thoroughbred racehorses, and Grant hopes the experience will help nurture the next generation of veterinarians and turf professionals.
