Cox works Good Cheer for Alabama, Immersive for CCA Oaks

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Brad Cox plans to run both of his Grade 1-winning 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga this summer, but not it’s not expected to be against each other.

Immersive, the 2-year-old filly champion of 2024 who suffered her first career defeat in the Monomoy Girl Stakes last month at Churchill Downs, is targeting the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 19. Good Cheer, winner of her first seven starts including the Kentucky Oaks before finishing fifth of six in the Grade 1 Acorn here on June 6, will train up to the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 16.

On Saturday, both fillies put in workouts, albeit at different venues, in preparation for their upcoming engagements.

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At Saratoga, Good Cheer was credited with a half-mile move in 49.55 seconds over the Saratoga main track. Track clockers caught her from the three-eighths pole in 36.40 seconds and 49.55.

“She went really well,” said Cox, who caught the half-mile a tad quicker. “She’s moving good, seems happy and we’re very happy with her.”

Cox is just chalking up her Acorn performance to Good Cheer not caring for the Saratoga slop. Prior to the Acorn, Good Cheer had gone 7 for 7 including victories this year in the Kentucky Oaks, Fair Grounds Oaks, and Rachel Alexandra.

“With all that she’s done, as long as she’s sound, we’ll zero in on the Alabama and train her up to it,” Cox said.

At Churchill Downs on Saturday, Immersive worked five furlongs in 1:01, her second breeze since finishing second, beaten a neck by Take Charge Milady, in the Monomoy Girl Stakes on June 14.

At 2, Immersive won her first four starts including winning her maiden and the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga.

Immersive, who capped her 2-year-old year with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, was sidelined by bone bruising before returning with her game effort in the Monomoy Girl in which she was in tight while racing up on the pace.

“She was surrounded by horses and she never dropped the bit,” Cox said. “She ran a winning race. I don’t think she was 100 percent ready to go.”

Cox noted that Immersive did so well training at Churchill before she shipped here last summer that he plans on doing the same thing leading up to the CCA Oaks.

Cox said it’s not impossible, but is unlikely that the two fillies would run against each other in Saratoga. A more likely scenario is that Immersive runs in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx following the CCA Oaks.

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