Good Cheer—one of three undefeated graded stakes-winning 3-year-old fillies trained by Brad Cox along with champion 2-year-old filly Immersive and the uber-talented Muhimma—makes her season bow in the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The 1 1/16-mile Rachel Alexandra has proven to be a key prep on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks in recent years, producing three Rachel Alexandra/Kentucky Oaks (G1) winners over the last seven years. Those dual winners were Monomoy Girl (2018), Serengeti Empress (2019), and Pretty Mischievous (2023).
Cox has trained three winners of the Rachel Alexandra, including Monomoy Girl and last year's victress Tarifa, and he is running another promising one in Godolphin homebred Good Cheer.
The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro has been the consummate professional in her four starts, punctuated by a late-rallying score in the Nov. 30 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. That form was recently flattered by third-place finisher and stablemate Eclatant's victory in the Feb. 1 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Just as Monomoy Girl did, Good Cheer began her career at Horseshoe Indianapolis, scoring by 8 1/4 lengths in August, and has won her four career outings by a combined 32 1/2 lengths. Possessing three pivotal ingredients for Kentucky Oaks success—tactical speed, a quick turn of foot, and a pedigree that should only thrive the further she goes—all eyes will be on the talented bay as she lines up Saturday.
"Her record really speaks for itself and the style in which she's won all of those races has been very impressive," Cox said of Good Cheer. "She is another testament to Godolphin's program. She's handled everything we've done with her, so far, extremely well and I think we haven't seen her best yet."
Regular rider Luis Saez flies in from South Florida for the mount on the morning-line favorite in the Rachel Alexandra and other Risen Star Day program rides.
Facing Good Cheer are the 1-2 finishers from Fair Grounds' Silverbulletday Stakes Jan. 18, Simply Joking and Bless the Broken.
Simply Joking got off to a fast start for trainer Whit Beckman, breaking her maiden in stakes company with a gritty first-out victory in the six-furlong Letellier Memorial Stakes in December at Fair Grounds. From there, she handled the two turns seamlessly, taking the one-mile-and-70-yard Silverbulletday in gate-to-wire fashion and collecting 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Jaime Torres retains the mount on Practical Joke filly in her biggest test yet. She races for owners Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner, and Berkels0813.
Finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind Simply Joking, the Will Walden-trained Bless the Broken, owned by Cypress Creek Equine, returns with a chance to add more Oaks points to her bank account after running a career-best number in the Silverbulletday.
2024 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) runner-up Ballerina d'Oro, another of the top entrants, will not compete Saturday due to running a fever, trainer Chad Brown told Daily Racing Form.
With points leader Immersive sidelined, Good Cheer currently sits in fourth on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard among active runners with 20 points. The Rachel Alexandra, a local steppingstone for the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 22, awards Oak points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers.
Monomoy Girl skipped the Fair Grounds Oaks to run in the 2018 Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in her final race before winning the Kentucky Oaks.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, February 15, 2025, Race 13Entries: Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Anonima (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 2 Good Cheer (KY) Luis Saez 122 Brad H. Cox - 3 Ballerina d'Oro (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Chad C. Brown - 4 Gowells Delight (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 5 Aledean (KY) Edgar Morales 122 Thomas M. Amoss - 6 Simply Joking (PA) Jaime A. Torres 122 D. Whitworth Beckman - 7 Bless the Broken (KY) Axel Concepcion 122 William Walden -
