By Steve Sherack
Shadwell Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), a jaw-dropping winner of her first two career starts sprinting at Churchill Downs, remained unbeaten in front-running fashion while making her two-turn debut in Saturday's GII Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct.
The win, good for 10 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks, provided Coolmore stallion Munnings with a sweep of the juvenile graded stakes races at the Big A following Poster (Munnings)'s success in the GII Remsen Stakes contested one race earlier on the program.
Muhimma stopped the clock for 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.84, besting the 1:50.37 final time of her male counterparts in the Remsen.
It's an embarassment of riches for winning conditioner Brad Cox where it comes to the 2-year-old filly division. He also trains the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and soon-to-be crowned champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist) as well as last weekend's GII Golden Rod Stakes winner Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro). The unbeaten Godolphin homebreds are currently in first and second place on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 40 and 20 points, respectively.
“I'm proud of what our team has been able to do with these horses and I'm proud of the horses,” Cox said. “We've been put in a good position with fillies that have responded and now our job is to turn the page on this year and try to execute next year.”
He continued, “I'm thinking we'll probably send her to Payson to kind of chill out over the next month and then come up with a game plan moving forward. We have Fair Grounds and Oaklawn as our main focus with where we run, and we'll see. There's options up here as well. We are lucky with these fillies, and we're hoping to have some that will pick up black type here.”
Far from a secret off as the 2-5 favorite while facing nine rivals, the stunning gray was off a step slow from her rail draw, but still led the way heading into the clubhouse turn. Muhimma held a narrow advantage through fractions of :23.94 and :48.24 and kicked for home as the one to catch. Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), off at odds of 9-1 while adding blinkers and trying dirt for the first time here, made a run at Muhimma in the stretch, but the heavy favorite was never in any serious dangerous and had a length over that rival at the wire.
Muhimma earned a field-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure while winning by 7 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 chalk on debut Sept. 20, then scored by a geared-down 5 1/2 lengths going seven furlongs in an optional claimer Nov. 1. Both wins were registered in press-and-pounce fashion.
“First time 2-year-olds going that far, I thought (the fractions) were quick enough and she fended off a horse making a run at her down the lane, so she showed some determination and she showed she could handle the mile and an eighth,” Cox said.
“She's big. She's by a very good sire, very good broodmare sire, and the mare herself was good going long. We felt confident she would handle the distance and right now she just needs to handle the mile and an eighth. I'm happy with the performance today.”
Pedigree Notes:
Muhimma becomes the 30th graded/group winner and 81st stakes winner worldwide for Munnings. She was the co-second most expensive of 85 yearlings by Munnings to switch hands in 2023, bringing $700,000 at Keeneland September.
Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Muhimma is the second foal out of Princesa Carolina (Tapit), a winner of the Dueling Grounds Oaks going 1 5/16 miles over the lawn at Kentucky Downs. Muhimma's very talented and versatile second dam Pure Clan (Pure Prize) won the GI American Oaks and GI Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes, both on grass. She also won a pair of graded races on dirt and was third in the 2008 Kentucky Oaks.
Princesa Carolina produced colts by Gun Runner in 2023-24 and was bred back to the leading sire for 2025. Her yearling colt by Gun Runner brought $2.2 million from Whisper Hill Farm at Keeneland September, the second-highest price of the entire sale.
Saturday, Aqueduct
DEMOISELLE S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-7, 2yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:49.84, ft.
1–MUHIMMA, 118, f, 2, by Munnings
1st Dam: Princesa Carolina (SW & GISP, $453,619),
by Tapit
2nd Dam: Pure Clan, by Pure Prize
3rd Dam: Gather The Clan (Ire), by General Assembly
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($700,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Shadwell Stable; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $279,460. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Ballerina d'Oro, 118, f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro–In the Moonlight, by Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($320,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $50,000.
3–Liam in the Dust, 118, f, 2, Liam's Map–Whisper Louise, by Bernardini. ($45,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Storyteller Racing and Michael Schroeck; B-Don Alberto Corporation & W. S. Farish (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. $30,000.
Margins: 1, 6 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 9.60, 6.50.
Also Ran: Five a Side, Carmen's Candy Jar, Beauty Reigns, Bless the Broken, Tip Line, Fortuna Mia, Michelle.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
MUHIMMA ($2.80) stayed undefeated as @flothejock got her home first in the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. The daughter of Munnings (@CoolmoreAmerica) is trained by @bradcoxracing.
The Cigar Mile is next: https://t.co/KE0J71TrkF pic.twitter.com/Nbtn7aaTsi
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 7, 2024
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