Good Cheer Brings Perfect Record into Kentucky Oaks

[Wandering Eyes]

LOUISVILE, Ky. – After last year's Breeders' Cup, it wouldn't have come as much of a surprise to see an unbeaten, Godolphin homebred trained by Brad Cox bringing a perfect record into the GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

But with last year's champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist) unraced since capping her brilliant four-for-four season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies–she's recently returned to training–it will instead be her unbeaten stablemate Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) that will be in the spotlight for those same connections on the first Friday in May.

Good Cheer has raced twice so far this year, easily winning both of her preps in New Orleans–the GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 15 and GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 22. The latter was good for a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. The striking, blaze-faced bay went four-for-four as a 2-year-old, including wins in the Rags to Riches S. Oct. 27 and GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 30, both beneath the Twin Spires.

“Look, I would love to sit here and tell you that I thought Good Cheer was gonna be the one,” Cox said with a laugh.

“I've always felt Good Cheer would handle the 1 1/8 miles and beyond. When she won the allowance race (by 17 lengths) at Churchill in the fall in September, I thought, 'Man, this could be our Alabama filly.' That would probably be as much dreaming as I did last fall with her. We were obviously gonna try to separate them. If they were gonna meet up, it would've been in the Kentucky Oaks.”

Cox added, “Once Good Cheer won the Golden Rod, we knew that she was the real deal. She's definitely filled the gap short term–they're two great fillies. Looking forward to getting Immersive back later in the season, too.”

Cox has won the Kentucky Oaks twice–with Monomoy Girl in 2018 and with Shedaresthedevil two years later. Godolphin captured the 2023 renewal with the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

“Obviously, if Good Cheer can win this race, she puts her name right there with those fillies,” Cox said.

After winning last year's Kentucky Oaks with subsequent Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna)–she'll be in action in the GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne on the sensational Oaks undercard–trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. will look for a repeat with Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy). Her foot issue seems to behind her–McPeek announced on Twitter earlier this week that her foot abscess has healed–and she enters off a very good rallying second behind the speedy La Cara (Street Sense) in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 7.

'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) (how cool has it been seeing Kentucky Derby alumni turned John Ortiz stable pony Barber Road accompanying her to the track this week!), winner of Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. Feb. 23 and GII Fantasy S. Mar. 29 and drawn widest of all in post 14, figures to go off as the second choice, while the Bob Baffert-trained GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks winner Tenma (Nyquist) will also be well-supported at the windows.

With plenty of speed still signed on despite the defection of Five G (Vekoma), stretch-running GIII Gazelle S. winner Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) is an interesting longshot to consider.

The 13-race Kentucky Oaks program also features a heavyweight showdown between Todd Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light) and Locked (Gun Runner) in the GII Alysheba S.; the GII Edgewood S., headed by the talented Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro); the GIII Modesty S., topped by MGISW She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}); the GII Eight Belles S.; and the GIII Unbridled Sidney S.

The weather forecast for Louisville continues to be fluid for the next few days with rain expected around noon Friday and continuing into Saturday.

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