Good Cheer Remains Unbeaten with Commanding Victory in Rachel Alexandra

By Kevin Kilroy —-

2/15/2025 – Good Cheer with Luis Saez aboard wins the 45th runningof the Grade II $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stabkes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

New Orleans, La (Feb. 15, 2025) – Godolphin’s Good Cheer kept her perfect record intact with a decisive 6 ¼-length victory in Saturday’s 45th running of the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the first race in the Championship Series of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Saez, Good Cheer covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.12.

Early in the Rachel Alexandra, Good Cheer tracked in third, sitting just off the pace set by Gowells Delight, who faced mild pressure to her outside from Aledean. The order remained unchanged up the backstretch as Gowells Delight set a composed half-mile in :48.35.

Approaching the top of the stretch, Bless the Broken made a middle move, drawing three-wide and briefly relegating Good Cheer to fourth. Just inside the quarter pole, Good Cheer found room outside Gowells Delight and surged clear of her rivals.

The Rachel Alexandra marked Good Cheer’s first start as a 3-year-old, and with the victory, she secured 25 qualifying points toward the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) on Friday, May 2, at Churchill Downs.

Sent off as the heavy 1-9 favorite, Good Cheer returned $2.20 to win.

A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Street Sense mare Wedding Toast, Good Cheer improved her record to a perfect five-for-five, boosting her earnings to $637,630.

The Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra serves as the local steppingstone to the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) on Saturday, March 22.

RACHEL ALEXANDRA QUOTES:

Luis Saez (jockey, Good Cheer, winner): “She did it pretty easy. She’s a really easy filly to ride. We knew we had the best horse in the race and she got a little schooling today.”

Brad Cox (trainer, Good Cheer, winner): “We’re very proud of her effort to comeback like this as a 3-year-old. Her record speaks for itself. She always shows up and runs a top effort. Today was no different. It was a short field but she still showed up to run her race. We’re very proud of her and very excited about her moving forward on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. (jockey, Gowells Delight, second): “We thought our best game plan would be taking her to the lead and trying to keep Brad’s filly at bay. We were just second best to her today. Our filly is now graded stakes placed and we’re proud of her effort.”

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 153rd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 112th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 22, 2024 through March 23, 2025. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.