Good Cheer — Godolphin’s ‘other’ unbeaten filly –heads G2 Rachel Alexandra

Fair Grounds stakes advance by publicist Kevin Kilroy (Churchill Downs/Coady Media photo by John Gallagher of Good Cheer winning Churchill Downs’ G2 Golden Rod Stakes)

New Orleans, La (Feb. 9, 2025) – Dominant in her four winning runs as a juvenile, Godolphin’s G2 victress Good Cheer — stablemate of unbeaten champion 2-year-old filly Immersive — was tabbed as the 6-5 morning line favorite for the 45th running of the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Slated as the penultimate race on Saturday’s “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” 14-race program, the 1 1/16 miles Rachel Alexandra attracted a field of seven 3-year-old fillies. It is the first Oaks prep on the calendar to award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. 

Six stakes are scheduled to be run on “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” including the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star (G2), a Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prep which also awards 105 qualifying points. 

Past the Rachel Alexandra and the Risen Star, the action includes two more graded stakes with $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard GI By Relyne (G3) and the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3). Along with the Fair Grounds Stakes, both the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial and the $100,000 Colonel Power are scheduled to be run on the Stall-Wilson turf course. First post on Saturday, Feb. 15 is noon CT.

Good Cheer proved untouchable as a 2-year-old, winning her four freshman starts by a combined 32 1/4 lengths. Taking the Golden Rod (G2) by 2 1/2 lengths and the Rags to Riches by 4 3/4 last fall at Churchill Downs, the Brad Cox trained filly racked up 20 Oaks points and sits tied for fourth on the leaderboard. Perfect in three starts at the Rachel Alexandra distance, the Medaglia d’Oro filly has been training in Florida at Payson Park in preparation for her sophomore debut. Luis Saez returns to the saddle and will guide Good Cheer from post 2.

Beginning with Monomoy Girl in 2018, Brad Cox has won the Rachel Alexandra three times, including last year with Tarifa.

Looking to continue his sweep of the local Oaks preps, trainer Whit Beckman entered the Silverbulletday winner Simply Joking in Saturday’s Rachel Alexandra. Both starts for Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner, and Berkels0813’s Simply Joking have been in local stakes. She proved her heart to overcome trouble and win on debut in the Letellier Memorial and backed that up with an impressive gate-to-wire victory in the Silverbulletday. The Practical Joke filly also boasts 20 qualifying points. Beckman will give the leg up to Jaime Torres who will guide the likely front-runner from post 6. 

Second to Muhimma last out in the Demoiselle (G2), Rodeo Creek Racing’s Ballerina d’Oro proved she can kick late on the dirt as well as she had accomplished on the turf. After breaking her maiden going one mile at Kentucky Downs, the Chad Brown trainee ran a troubled eighth in the Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland, less than a half-length from finishing fourth. Donning blinkers for the second time, the Medaglia d’Oro filly drew post 3 and will be guided by Flavien Prat, recently named the 2024 Eclipse Award Champion for Outstanding Jockey.

Trainer Kenny McPeek entered both Magdalena Racing and Steve Crabtree’s Anonima and Fern Circle Stables’ Gowells Delight in the Rachel Alexandra. Attracting the services of Irad Ortiz Jr. on Saturday, Anonima has won her last two, including a local allowance where she proved two lengths best over the Cox-trainee California Sunset. Gowells Delight followed up her dazzling debut win with a fourth-place finish in the Martha Washington to earn 4 qualifying points.

The last stop on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks comes on March 22 with the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). 

Here’s the complete field for the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):

1          Anonima (Irad Ortiz Jr., Kenny McPeek, 6-1)

2          Good Cheer (Luis Saez , Brad Cox, 6-5)

3          Ballerina d’Oro (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 7-2)

4          Gowells Delight (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 12-1)

5          Aledean (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss, 15-1)

6          Simply Joking (Jaime Torres, Whit Beckman, 4-1)

7          Bless the Broken (Axel Concepcion, Will Walden, 12-1)