Good Cheer dazzles in the Rags to Riches (Coady Media)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Godolphin’s undefeated homebred Good Cheer will face a talented field of seven 2-year-old fillies entered in next Saturday’s $400,000 Golden Rod (Grade II) at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/16-mile contest that is the co-featured event on the Stars of Tomorrow II program.
The Golden Rod, scheduled as Race 9, will have a post time of 4:48 p.m. The 12-race Stars of Tomorrow II program begins at 1 p.m. and also features the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII), a Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season race, along with the $225,000 Ed Brown and $225,000 Fern Creek.
As part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Prep Season, the Golden Rod will award qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI).
Trained by Brad Cox, Good Cheer has dazzled in all three of her starts. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro was a dominant winner of the Rags to Riches at Churchill Downs on Oct. 27, drawing off by 5 ½ lengths. Earlier in her campaign, Good Cheer captured an allowance race by an eye-popping 17 lengths and broke her maiden at Horseshoe Indianapolis with an 8 ¼-length romp. Leading rider Luis Saez retains the mount and will break from post 3.
GOOD CHEER ($3.48) earned points towards a start in the 2025 Kentucky Oaks with her win in the $200,000 Rags to Riches Stakes at @ChurchillDowns. @bradcoxracing trained the daughter of @DarleyAmerica's Medaglia d'Oro. @luissaezpty was on board for owners @godolphin. pic.twitter.com/C4ohfCPTab
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 27, 2024
Joining Good Cheer in the starting gate for the Golden Rod is her stablemate Éclatant, owned by Stonestreet Stables. The undefeated daughter of Into Mischief is 2-for-2, both victories coming in sprints. Saturday’s Golden Rod will mark her first attempt around two turns. Jockey Florent Geroux has the call from post 1.
The field also includes Shortleaf Stable’s Quietside, a multiple Grade I-placed runner trained by John Ortiz. Quietside burst onto the scene in August with a 6 ¼-length maiden-breaking victory at Saratoga under Saez. Since then, the daughter of Violence has finished second in the Spinaway (GI) and third in the Alcibiades (GI), both behind eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner Immersive. With Saez opting to ride Good Cheer, jockey Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post 4.
The complete field for the Golden Rod from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
· Eclatant (Geroux, Cox)
· Fixin to Bee (John Velazquez, Rusty Arnold II)
· Good Cheer (Saez, Cox)
· Quietside (Gaffalione, Ortiz)
· Sturgeon Moon (Evin Roman, Paulo Lobo)
· My Lil Punky (Edgar Morales, John Ennis)
· Flash Wear (Cristian Torres, Tommy Vance)
