Following a disappointing fifth-place finish in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, the first loss in her eight-race career, Good Cheer has exited the race in good order but has no plans yet for a next start.
Trainer Brad Cox reported that the 3-year-old Medaglia d'Oro filly was moving well when she returned to the Saratoga track June 10.
"She's good from a standpoint of how she looks," Cox said. "We'll just monitor her over the next few weeks. If all goes well, we'll get her back on the work tab and she how she's moving in her works, how she responds, and go from there. No race (planned) right now, we'll just get a couple works under her before we decide which race to pick out for her."
Winner of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) in May, the Godolphin homebred had shown a consistent turn of foot through her first seven starts that carried her to an unchallenged victory each time. That turn of foot was missing Friday on Saratoga's sealed sloppy track.
"It wasn't like she ran horrible, it just wasn't what we were accustomed to," Cox said. "When she was asked to quicken (by jockey Luis Saez), she just didn't really respond and blitz the competition like she had in the past so easily."
Good Cheer had success over a wet track at Churchill Downs in the Oaks, but the surface she experienced in the Acorn was much different footing.
"I did talk to a couple different jocks throughout the weekend that said, when it was sealed, (the track) was very hard and firm," Cox said. "Maybe it just moved some of the other fillies up and didn't help her quite as much being a filly that sits off the pace."
Despite the bump in the road, Cox remains hopeful that Good Cheer will get back on track for the second half of the year with a target remaining on the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1.
Saratoga plays as home to the major summer targets for top 3-year-old fillies, with the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational (G1) taking place July 19 over 1 1/8 miles and the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) over 1 1/4 miles Aug. 16.
