Good Cheer came into the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds unbeaten and untested after four starts. She came out of it unbeaten and untested after five starts. With her two key rivals, Ballerina d’Oro and Simply Joking, scratched, Good Cheer faced three overmatched foes. Despite not hitting the front until about 150 yards remained, she won the Grade 2, $250,000 Rachel Alexandra by 6 1/4 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 89. Racing last of four but only a few lengths behind pacesetting Gowells Delight’s tepid half-mile in 48.35, Good Cheer split Gowells Delight and Aledean at the quarter pole, collared Gowells Delight at the furlong grounds, and then fled the scene, galloping out powerfully. “She did it pretty easy. I tried to give her schooling today. We know we had the best horse in the race,” jockey Luis Saez said. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Ballerina d’Oro didn’t ship from Florida earlier in the week, and her scratch was known for several days. Simply Joking was found to be harboring a virus late in the week and, after looking at the results of blood tests on Friday, trainer Whit Beckman had to take Simply Joking out of the race as well. Anonima also was scratched, and with just four runners, the Kentucky Oaks qualifying points awarded to top finishers were roughly halved from 105. No worries: Good Cheer, trained by Brad Cox, now has 45 points and if healthy will be making the Oaks. And if she continues along a similar course, she might well win it. The 1 1/8-mile Oaks distance won’t get her beat. Good Cheer just was warming up racing 1 1/16 miles in a good 1:44.12 in the Rachel Alexandra. “They don’t write races long enough for her,” said Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin, which bred and owns Good Cheer. By Medaglia d’Oro out of Wedding Toast, by Street Sense, Good Cheer debuted at Horseshoe Indianapolis not so much because she wasn’t ready for major-track racing, but because she could start her career there in a two-turn maiden race. “We liked her all along, but to think she was going to be that good when she went into training would probably be a stretch,” Banahan said. Gowells Delight held second, 1 1/2 lengths better than Bless the Broken, who was a neck better than Aledean. Good Cheer paid $2.10. Following her debut win, Good Cheer won a Churchill Downs allowance, the Rags to Riches, and the Grade 2 Golden Rod, then went to Payson Park in Florida to train toward her 2025 campaign. So far, her career arc looks similar to another Cox-trained filly, Monomoy Girl, who won her debut in Indiana, finished second in the Golden Rod, and won the Rachel Alexandra first time out at age 3. Monomoy Girl went on to win the Oaks. Good Cheer is on her way. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.