Good Cheer stays on top in Kentucky Oaks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Good Cheer, undefeated and the undisputed horse to beat entering Friday's $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1), walked off the field of battle with a mud-caked coat still undefeated and still the undisputed leader of the three-year-old filly class.

Over a Churchill Downs track downgraded to sloppy after a severe thunderstorm blew through Louisville in late afternoon, Good Cheer showed the kind of stamina and endurance her 12 rivals could not match.

Rating in midpack while wide down the backside, Good Cheer took aim at the leaders around the far turn, swung five wide entering the stretch, and powered home down the middle of the track to win by 2 1/4 lengths under Luis Saez. She covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.15 and paid $4.78.

Drexel Hill, a 32-1 longshot, rallied to finish second by 1 1/4 lengths over Bless the Broken. Tenma weakened to fourth after pressing the early pace and was followed by Anna's Promise, Quietside, Quickick, Early On, pacesetter La Cara, Ballerina d'Oro, Fondly, Take Charge Milady, and Simply Joking.

Good Cheer, a Godolphin homebred, has proven an able substitute for Immersive, the stable's 2024 juvenile filly champion who was sidelined early on the road to this season's Kentucky Oaks.

"We had Immersive, and she was obviously a very good champion in her own right, but we kind of thought she was our Kentucky Oaks filly and thought [Good Cheer] could be our Alabama (G1) filly," trainer Brad Cox said. "Obviously, this filly picked up and just every race continued to improve. I'm not certain what her ceiling is. I don't know if there is one."

The Kentucky Oaks was Good Cheer's seventh win and fourth over the Churchill strip. An authoritative juvenile in her own right, she blew away maiden rivals at Horseshoe Indianapolis and allowance foes at Churchill (by 17 lengths in the slop) in her first two starts, then earned her first two stakes wins in the Rags to Riches and Golden Rod (G2).

Prepping twice for the Oaks at Fair Grounds over the winter, Good Cheer had little difficulty taking down the Rachel Alexandra (G2) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

"She's just incredibly easy to deal with. She's easy to train. She listens to her rider, she's easy to be around. Very, very sound filly," Cox said. "We've never had to back off of her. She's just marched forward since we've had her and works well every week."

Good Cheer, an earner of of more than $1.7 million, was bred in Kentucky and is by Medaglia d'Oro and out of multiple Grade 1 winner Wedding Toast, by Street Sense.

Like Thorpedo Anna among three-year-old fillies last season, Good Cheer does not appear to have a peer equal to her. She is likely to give her connections more reason to cheer as the season progresses.