Good Cheer: Glory in the Kentucky Oaks for a Filly of a Different Kind

The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, racing for Godolphin, remained unbeaten at Churchill Downs with complete authority

Over the Slop, Good Cheer Confirms She's the Top Filly in the U.S. / CHURCHILL DOWNS

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d’Oro), already a standout among her peers, confirmed her status as the nation’s top 3-year-old filly with a commanding 2 1/4-length victory in the 151st running of the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks Friday at Churchill Downs, securing her seventh win in as many starts and pushing her earnings to $1,733,230.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden with confidence by Luis Saez, the dark bay stopped the clock in 1:50.15 for the nine furlongs over a sealed, sloppy track. The performance marked Cox’s third win in the Oaks, following Monomoy Girl(Tapizar) in 2018 and Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) in 2020. For Saez, it was a second Oaks victory after partnering Secret Oath (Arrogate) in 2022. Godolphin, meanwhile, scored its second consecutive success in the race, having captured last year’s edition with Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

Let go at solid odds, La Cara (Street Sense) sped to the front and cut out ambitious fractions of :22.58, :46.78 and 1:11.36, chased by Tenma (Nyquist) and Anna’s Promise (Promises Fulfilled), while Good Cheer traveled comfortably in the clear from midpack. On the far turn, Quietside (Malibu Moon) loomed briefly, but Good Cheerquickly circled her rivals four wide and stormed home under minimal urging to put the race away inside the final furlong.

A winner of four of her seven career races at Churchill—including a 17-length romp over the slop in allowance company last fall—Good Cheer banked $855,600 for the win. Out of Grade I winner Wedding Toast (Street Sense), she becomes the latest in a long line of top-tier homebreds for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation.

Drexel Hill (Bolt d’Oro) and Bless the Broken (Laoban) closed strongly to complete a surprising trifecta, separated by 1 1/4 lengths.

“She’s an unbelievable filly,” said Saez. “We had all the confidence in her coming into this race, and she just keeps getting better. She was traveling so well that I didn’t want to take anything away from her—I just let her run her race.”

Cox added: “We always thought the farther, the better with her. Last fall, Immersive (Nyquist) was our Oaks filly, and Good Cheer was more of an Alabama-type. But she’s improved every time. She loves Churchill, handles any kind of track, and I’m not sure what her ceiling is. We’ll target the summer Grade Is and hope to get to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.”

Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock for Godolphin, said: “She’s a fantastic filly. We’re very proud of everyone involved in her development. Brad and his team have done a phenomenal job keeping her at this level, and Luis has ridden her brilliantly every time. We’re fortunate to have Sheikh Mohammed’s support and his long-term vision for building a broodmare band that produces fillies like her.”