Goin' Good takes Coronation Cup's move to dirt in stride

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though she was coming off the best race of her career on turf, Goin’ Good didn’t mind the change of surface in Sunday’s $120,000 Coronation Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga.

Goin’ Good, under Tyler Gaffalione, pressed the pacesetting favorite Mischiefful through a sharp half-mile, put that one away in midstretch then had enough to fend off Farsighted to win the Coronation Cup by a half-length. Farsighted finished 2 1/2 lengths clear of Mischiefful. Shop Girl finished last of a scratch-reduced field of four.

The Coronation Cup, scheduled for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, was run over a sloppy main track after rain forced all four scheduled turf races Sunday at Saratoga to the dirt.

Goin’ Good had run second in the Dixie Belle Stakes on a sloppy track in February, giving trainer Brad Cox the confidence to stay in the Coronation Cup.

Cox wanted Gaffalione to get a good break so as to not let Mischiefful, the apparent speed of the race, get away.

Gaffalione did exactly that, putting Goin’ Good within a half-length of Mischiefful and Jose Lezcano through a quarter in 21.97 seconds and a half-mile in 45.43 over the sloppy going.

Goin’ Good was able to put Mishchiefful away inside the eighth pole, but had to fend off a late run from the rail-rallying Farsighted.

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“My filly was getting tired, I had to use her to stay in my position,” Gaffalione said. “I was just hoping her class would prevail and it did."

Goin’ Good, a daughter of Congrats owned and bred by Klein Racing, covered the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.26 and returned $5.40.

“She not only broke well, he kept her in contact with that filly on the lead, not letting her get away and I think it played a big role in us being able to pass that filly down the lane,” Cox said.