Good Cheer sailed to her fifth straight victory, keeping her undefeated record intact, with a rousing performance in the $282,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
After demolishing her rivals by a widening 6 1/4 lengths, the 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro continued to bull her way around the New Orleans oval with an eye-popping gallop out.
"She's really good. The longer the better," trainer Brad Cox said.
The 1 1/8 miles of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) over Churchill Downs' long stretch should fall right into Good Cheer's wheelhouse on the first Friday in May.
"They won't write races long enough for her. Stamina is her calling card," said Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock Michael Banahan. "She's a very efficient filly, lots of class. It's nice to have one like her and to win the Rachel Alexandra, we're getting very fond of the race. We've won it now three years in a row."
The Godolphin operation captured the Rachel Alexandra in 2023 with eventual Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress Pretty Mischievous and again in 2023 with Tarifa, who was also trained by Cox.
With the late scratch of Silverbulletday Stakes winner and morning-line third choice Simply Joking, only three fillies were left to challenge Good Cheer in her 3-year-old debut. Jockey Luis Saez, the rider aboard Good Cheer for her last four starts, was in no hurry to push his star filly early, cognizant of the talent underneath him.
Brian Hernandez Jr. tried to take advantage of the paceless scenario in the small field, nursing the Kenny McPeek-trained Gowells Delight through moderate early splits of :24.30, :48.35, and 1:13.19.
Wheeling for home, rival jockeys did their best to box the Godolphin filly in down the straight. It would be soon become apparent that those attempts were made in vain, as apart from a few anxious moments, there was no doubt who would win the Rachel Alexandra.
Shouldering her way into the clear at the eighth pole, Good Cheer exploded into the daylight. Geared down at the finish, Good Cheer ($2.10) raced the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.12.
"We're very proud of her effort to come back like this as a 3-year-old," Cox said of Good Cheer. "Her record speaks for itself. She always shows up and runs a top effort. Today was no different. It was a short field but she still showed up to run her race. We're very proud of her and very excited about her moving forward on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks."
Gowells Delight, fourth last time out in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, ran on for runner-up honors, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Bless the Broken in third
With the reduced field of four in the Rachel Alexandra, the race offered Road to the Kentucky Oaks points on a
25-12.5-7.5-5 scale. According to the rules established by Churchill Downs Inc., in the event a championship series race on the road to the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks is run with a five-horse field, only 75% of the points will be proportionally awarded. A championship series race field with four or fewer horses will be proportionally awarded 50% of the total points. The Rachel Alexandra was originally billed as a 105-point race, worth 50 points to the winner.
Collecting her third stakes score, Good Cheer vaulted to the top of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 45 points.
