Cover image courtesy of Churchill Downs
USA
Kentucky Oaks won by unbeaten Good Cheer
By Steve Sherack, TDN
In the weeks leading up to the GI Kentucky Oaks, you can't blame trainer Brad Cox if he wasn't quite ready– at least yet–to compare the unbeaten Good Cheer (USA) (Medaglia d'Oro {USA}) to either of his two previous winners in the most important race for 3-year-old fillies. Think he may be ready now that she has won all her seven starts and won in dominant fashion.
Off as the 6-5 favourite over a surface turned sloppy and sealed by torrential rains that ripped through the Louisville area around 4 pm and pushed back the start of the Oaks by 13 minutes, the Godolphin homebred unleashed a powerful, five-wide sweep beneath Luis Saez approaching the quarter pole and came rolling down the centre of the Churchill Downs stretch to record an authoritative 2.25l victory. Longshots Drexel Hill (USA) (Bolt d'Oro {USA}) and Bless the Broken (USA) (Laoban {USA}) rounded out the top three. Good Cheer stopped the clock for 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.15.
“It means a tremendous amount,” Cox said. “I mean, this is the peak for the 3-year-old fillies. Now, we'll continue to campaign her throughout the year. But it's a big race. It means a lot to me, obviously, being from Louisville. This means a tremendous amount.”
Godolphin and Cox also campaign last year's champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (USA) (Nyquist {USA}), sidelined since capping her brilliant four-for-four season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. “We had Immersive and she was obviously a very good champion in her own right,” Cox said.
Good Cheer (USA) winning the G1 Kentucky Oaks | Image courtesy of Churchill Downs
“But we thought she was our Kentucky Oaks filly, and thought this could be our Alabama filly. But obviously, this filly picked up and just every race continued to improve. Obviously, she loves Churchill. She'll run on anything. The further, the better. Very proud of her. I'm not certain what her ceiling is. I don't know if there is one. I think right now, the target, the logical are obvious Grade Is at Saratoga: the Acorn, and CCA (Coaching Club American) Oaks, the Alabama, the Cotillion, all those races that are in play.”
“This filly (Good Cheer) picked up and just every race continued to improve. Obviously, she loves Churchill. She'll run on anything. The further, the better. Very proud of her. I'm not certain what her ceiling is. I don't know if there is one.” - Brad Cox
Good Cheer becomes the third Kentucky Oaks winner for Darley's leading sire Medaglia d'Oro, also responsible for the once-in-a-lifetime Rachel Alexandra (USA) in 2009 and Plum Pretty (USA) in 2011. “It's tremendous, 26-year-old stallion,” Godolphin's Michael Banahan said. “He's had a rejuvenation here in the last couple of years. Two fillies here in the Oaks today, and to come and have another winner. It would be nice to think if she could step in the shoes of a Rachel Alexandra or something like that, that would be great.”
Connections of Good Cheer (USA) after winning the G1 Kentucky Oaks | Image courtesy of America's Best Racing
Good Cheer's dam Wedding Toast (USA) (Street Sense {USA}), a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, now the agent for Saez, won the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes and GI Beldame Stakes in 2015. Good Cheer's second dam is the unraced, Stonerside-bred Golden Sheba (USA) (Coronado's Quest {USA}). The late Bob McNair's standout five-time Grade I winner Congaree (USA) can be found under Good Cheer's third dam.
G1 La Troienne Stakes result is unexpected
In a race many thought was for second-place, it was Raging Sea (USA) (Curlin {USA}) who stepped up to play the spoiler in her 2025 bow and claim the GI La Troienne Stakes as the 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (USA) (Fast Anna {USA}) faded to last in the lane.
Content to watch the action unfold in fifth as her stablemate Randomized (USA) (Nyquist {USA}) went loose on the lead by way of traffic behind her, Raging Sea was spared a lot of the inside drama when Dorth Vader (USA) (Girvin {USA}) rushed up and knocked Thorpedo Anna away from the rail. The two-time champion was bounced around like a pinball going into the first turn, but seemed to recover from a spot on the outside stalking the pace.
After the race, an objection was lodged by Johnny Velazquez on Dorth Vader against the third place finisher, but the stewards dismissed it and no changes were made to the running order.
“I was really looking forward to a little bit of a rematch (from the Breeders' Cup Distaff) and I was happy that she was able to get up there,” said Chad Brown. “She's really etched her own solid career and not just a one off sort of horse–so consistency over many years now, all the way back her 2-year-old year. She's really turned into a solid, solid horse that everyone needs to respect.”
“The pace was slower than we anticipated but Flavien Prat did a nice job keeping her in striking distance and responded really well down the stretch.”
“The pace was slower than we anticipated but Flavien Prat did a nice job keeping her (Raging Sea) in striking distance and responded really well down the stretch.” - Chad Brown
Trainer Kenny McPeek said of Thorpedo Anna, “It looks like they beat her up going into the first turn. I don't know what that was about. I'm shocked like the rest of us.”
In a follow up on X, McPeek tweeted “Thorpedo Anna cooling out in the test barn. Nothing obvious at this time. We will need to clean her up and go over her tomorrow morning to get some clarity. The bumper cars in the first turn concern me and hopefully she didn't get injured long term. Obviously, we are disappointed. I will let her fans know if we find anything.”
Connections of Raging Sea (USA) after winning the GI La Troienne Stakes | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
Raging Sea hails from a Classic family as the granddaughter of graded winner Welcome Surprise (USA) (Seeking the Gold {USA}), a half-sister to the late great Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (USA) (Seattle Slew {USA}), through dam Stormy Welcome (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}). Of her half-siblings, the victress claims stakes placed Welcoming (USA) (Tapit {USA}), herself dam of stakes placed Reconcile (USA) (War Front {USA}), and a fleet of winners. Said second dam is also the granddam of graded winner Guest Suite (USA) (Quality Road {USA}) via Guest House (USA) (Ghostzapper {USA}).
Fierceness breaks record in Alysheba
By Alan Carasso, TDN
A day that dawned with the news that Repole Stable's Grande (USA) (Curlin {USA}) was to be scratched from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby turned considerably brighter for connections when Fierceness (USA) (City of Light {USA}) made his much-anticipated 4-year-old debut a winning one, establishing a new track record in Friday's G2 Alysheba Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard at Churchill Downs.
Given a supremely confident steer befitting a 9-10 favourite Friday afternoon, Fierceness was content to sit three wide and facing the breeze as Most Wanted (USA) (Candy Ride {Arg}) carved out a moderate pace, covering the opening quarter in :24.39 and a half in :48.31. Fierceness was always traveling strongly within the grasp of John Velazquez and was asked to take closer order while covering some ground on the turn. Rolling up to pour the pressure into the pacesetter in upper stretch, Fierceness and Most Wanted dueled heads apart into the final furlong before the 2-year-old champ asserted late. Gun Runner (USA) pair of Hall of Fame (USA) and Locked (USA) were third and fourth, respectively, while never a serious threat to the top two.
The final time of 1:40.66 broke the previous track record of 1:41.04 set in this race in 2012 by Successful Dan (USA) (Successful Appeal {USA}). “He's a nice horse and he showed it today. But, wow! A track record at Churchill Downs, that's a really big deal. We've got lots of options with him right now but I'd have to think the GI Met Mile (at Saratoga June 7) is on the top of the current list,” said trainer Todd Pletcher.
Fierceness after winning the G2 Alysheba Stakes | Image courtesy of Kentucky Derby
Look Forward adds G2 Eight Belles
Taking her game on the road and gradually coming east since starting her season in January, California invader Look Forward (USA) (Bolt d'Oro {USA}) set her sights on Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May and took home top prize in the G2 Eight Belles Stakes right before racing was interrupted for a severe weather delay.
With a menacing patch of storms bearing down on Churchill, the race was on to get the field out and over the track in advance of the forecasted heavy rain and winds. They just managed to complete the race when the worst of it rolled onto the grounds, whisking papers onto the track as Mother Nature joined the sea of pink in Louisville. Post times for the following G3 Unbridled Sidney Stakes and GI Kentucky Oaks were moved back as a result.
The victress is a half-sister to multiple Listed winner Amidst Waves (USA) (Midshipman {USA}), who was also graded placed last year in the G3 Soaring Softly Stakes, and their dam Troublesome (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) is from extended female family of stakes winner Chasing Liberty (USA) (Constitution {USA}).
Looking Forward winning the G2 Eight Belles Stakes | Image courtesy of Spendthrift Farm
