Family Form: Good Cheer Brings Class and Confidence to Kentucky Oaks

[Wandering Eyes]

Two years ago, Godolphin came into the Kentucky Oaks with a serious threat in Wet Paint (Blame). The homebred was undefeated as a 3-year-old and looked every bit the part in the days leading up to the big event. She went off as the 8-5 favorite, but when the fillies hit the wire it was the other Godolphin runner, Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), who delivered the win. At 10-1 odds, she handed her connections of Godolphin, trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Tyler Gaffalione their first Oaks victory.

This year, Godolphin returns to the Oaks with another heavy favorite, this one boasting a spotless record. Brad Cox trainee Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), a second-generation homebred, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for Friday's Oaks.

With a filly as good as Good Cheer, Godolphin's Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan understands the weight of expectation, but as he saw two years ago, knows that nothing is guaranteed once the starting gates open.

“I think [the pressure] is more because she's undefeated and the longer you go on with an undefeated streak, you like to keep them undefeated,” he said. “You're not just going to build up a win streak. You want to try the best competition out there and when you feel like you've got one of the better fillies in the country, you're going to be running in the biggest races. She's such an easy filly to be around and because she does everything so well, it sort of gives you a bit of confidence. She probably makes the pressure a little bit less herself and makes us feel a bit better about going in there with a favorite.”

It seems that through every stage of her career, Good Cheer has built a reputation for making things looks effortless. As Ben Lynch, Godolphin's Broodmare Manager at Stonerside Farm, jokingly puts it: “Even Stevie Nicks would like Good Cheer.”

From the start, the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro was easy on the eyes and easy on her handlers. As a yearling, she battled a significant foot issue that left her connections uncertain of whether she'd make the starting gate, but she pulled through and blossomed when sent to Bridlewood Farm for pre-training.

“She was one of our top 2-year-olds going into the season,” said Banahan. “We felt like she was a later-developing type of filly, actually, and that we wouldn't really see the best of her until her 3-year-old year, but then she went to Brad and she was passing all his tests early on. I was surprised that we were getting to the track as early as we did.”

From the outset, Good Cheer's connections believed that the filly was built more for stamina than raw speed. When Godolphin was looking to debut a group of 2-year-old fillies around the same time last summer, they found a mile-long maiden race for Good Cheer at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Even though she was squeezed back at the start, she wound up demolishing the field by over eight lengths.

“Everyone always asks why she ran at Indiana the first time,” said Banahan. “It was a distance that we wanted and we had lots of others we wanted to run at the same time. She went up there and won well. Every time she went to the racetrack she improved and got better and better and probably surprised us with how well she did.”

Wedding Toast at Stonerside Farm | Sara Gordon

Even as Good Cheer quietly reeled off three more wins last year, it was her stablemate, fellow Godolphin homebred Immersive (Nyquist), who claimed the spotlight with her dominant GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies victory. When the champion 2-year-old was sidelined with bone bruising, Good Cheer stepped up this year with back-to-back wins in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes and GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

Immersive is back in training with the Cox barn, but for now Good Cheer remains Godolphin's leading lady among their class of 3-year-old fillies going into the Kentucky Oaks.

“Her best attribute is her professionalism and class,” noted Banahan. “Nothing phases her at all. She's just an easygoing filly and you can do anything you want with her.”

Godolphin's connection with Good Cheer's family dates back to 2008, when they purchased Stonerside Farm from Robert and Janice McNair. Along with the Paris, Kentucky property came a select group of broodmares including Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest). The unraced half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Congaree (Arazi) rewarded her new owners early on in her breeding career when she produced Wedding Toast (Street Sense). Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, the filly raced to four graded stakes victories including the 2015 GI Ogden Phipps and 2015 GI Beldame Stakes.

After retiring from the track, Wedding Toast joined a group of mares who traveled to be bred to Darley's European supersire Dubawi (Ire). The resulting foal, Ya Hayati, went on to become a stakes winner in Dubai. Since then, Wedding Toast's broodmare career has seen mixed results. She has been barren in four of her nine season.

Wedding Toast's yearling filly is a full-sister to Good Cheer | Sara Gordon

Following two foals by Tapit who made the races but never reached stakes level, Godolphin bred Wedding Toast to their flagship sire, Medaglia d'Oro.

“Wedding Toast is by Street Sense, who has always done well with Mr. Prospector lines, so going to Medaglia d'Oro was a big draw there,” explained Banahan of the mating that produced Good Cheer.

Last year Wedding Toast produced another Medaglia d'Oro filly, who Banahan describes as nice but a more compact version of Good Cheer. After foaling that filly, the mare colicked and did not get back in foal. This year, she returned to Medaglia d'Oro.

Darley's Medaglia d'Oro looks to have a busy Kentucky Derby weekend. Along with Good Cheer, he will also have Ballerina d'Oro in the Kentucky Oaks as well as Godolphin homebred East Avenue in the Kentucky Derby. The sire will also be represented by Spirit of St Louis in the GI Turf Classic Stakes, Megalodon in the GI American Turf Stakes and Nitrogen in the GII Edgewood Stakes.

As Good Cheer headlines a strong weekend lineup for Medaglia d'Oro, Godolphin is optimistic that she can build upon the legacy of both her sire and her female family.

“I don't doubt that she will show up because every time she's gone to the races, she's done that,” said Banahan. “She's training super and she looks awesome. You wouldn't trade her for anyone else. Going in with an undefeated record is always difficult, but she gives everyone a lot of confidence going in there and we certainly like her chances.”

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