Good Cheer enjoys perfect Kentucky Oaks prep in G2 Fair Grounds Oaks

Unbeaten filly Good Cheer consolidated her position as the leading contender for this year’s Kentucky Oaks with an assured display in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks at Fair Grounds, USA, on Saturday, 22 March.

The Medaglia d’Oro homebred, bidding to follow up an easy win in the G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on her three-year-old return in mid-February, broke on terms in the extended-mile contest and soon settled in a close fourth on the outside of Gowells Delight.

Having taken closer order in third with three furlongs left, Good Cheer loomed up to tackle the leading duo of Ahavah and Her Laugh at the top of the lane.

Good Cheer powered into the lead entering the final furlong and the Brad Cox-trained filly soon took command under Luis Saez, hitting the line strongly to score by three and a half lengths.

She heads to Churchill Downs for the first Friday in May with a perfect record of six career wins, including a pair of Stakes wins at the course in last season’s Rags To Riches Stakes and G2 Golden Rod Stakes.

Brad Cox said: “The plan was to run here, with six weeks until the Kentucky Oaks and five weeks since her last race. I want to thank Sheikh Mohammed and his whole team. She’s a big-time filly, six from six, and the pressure was on. She has shown up every time we have led her over and we are very proud of her. Hopefully, we can have her as good in six weeks and she will be tough.

“Luis worked on her a little bit to get her to finish her race and she responded well. We have always felt the longer, the better for her and she will get another sixteenth of a mile at Churchill Downs.

“She is not a massive filly, she has somewhat of a light frame with a lot of leg, and I don’t think there is going to be any issue with keeping her fit. The plan the whole time was to have two races prior to the Kentucky Oaks and she will