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Preakness Entries Thorncliffe Stakes Kentucky Derby Results Kentucky Oaks Resullts Thurby Results |
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 Luis Saez celebrates aboard Good Cheer after winning the Kentucky Oaks. | |
The $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) is the premier race in the country for 3-year-old fillies, and is the female counterpart to the Kentucky Derby. Light rain fell earlier in the card downgrading the track to "wet-fast" and the turf to "good" after race 9, with a post time temperature of 65.
 Good Cheer leads down the stretch in the Kentucky Oaks. |
Jockey Dylan Davis sent 17-2 La Cara to the lead first time by and she set fractions of 22.58, 46.78, and 1:11.36 while pressed by Tenma and stalked by 29-1 Anna's Promise. Turning for home La Cara tired as Good Cheer, 8th early under Luis Saez, swept to the lead 5 wide through 1 mile in 1:36.97. Kept to task by Saez, Good Cheer drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths over late-running 32-1 Drexel Hill in 1:50.15. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to 18-1 Bless the Broken third.
There were six other stakes races on the card with the Oaks. Full results for all of them with more photos are here.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 11 Good Cheer Saez 4.78 3.62 3.62 4 Drexel Hill Curtis 21.02 11.76 13 Bless the Broken Velazquez 7.48 Winning Time: 1:50.83 $2 Exacta 11-4 105.82 $0.50 Trifecta 11-4-13 360.17 $1 Superfecta 11-4-13-9 4,826.35 |
Left: Good Cheer heads to the winner's circle. Winning jockey Luis Saez said, "She's an incredible filly. We were so confident with her coming into the race and keeps getting more special. She brings it every time. She went a little wide but she was traveling so well I just let her do her thing."
Right: Good Cheer in her new winner's blanket. Winning trainer Brad Cox said, "We thought the further the better. Last fall we had Immersive and we thought she was our Kentucky Oaks filly and we thought (Good Cheer) could be our Alabama filly. Every race she continued to pick up. She loves Churchill, she can run on anything. I'm not certain what her ceiling is. Obvious all the Grade 1s will be in play this summer and hopefully get her to the Breeders' Cup."
Left: Good Cheer in the post parade with popular pony horse Harley. Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for owner-breeder Godolphin said, "She's such a nice filly. So proud of all the guys back on the farm. Brad and his team have done such an outstanding job with her. To keep her at this level is fantastic. Luis has ridden her perfectly every time she's run. We're so fortunate that Godolphin's founder, Sheikh Mohammed, has given us the foundation to have a strong broodmare band to have horses like this."
Right: Luis Saez celebrates after winning aboard Good Cheer. Saez added, "She handled (the wet track) pretty well. She was very professional, like Brad said. We just tried to keep it out of the trouble. Actually, we picked a pretty good horse, a pretty good filly to follow. She really finished pretty well.
Left: Second place finisher Drexel Hill in the post parade. Jockey Ben Curtis said, "I was worried on this track after the rain and we'd struggle early and be a little far back. I let her find her feet. I was hoping we'd be a little closer early than we were." Trainer Whit Beckman added, "She came out flat-footed. But once she got going, she did some good. Tough to ask a filly like this with as little experience as she has, and on a track like this, to do any good. But all things considered, she ran great and I am very proud of her."
Right: Third place finisher Bless the Broken in the post parade. Trainer Will Walden said, "I thought she ran great. We got pushed a little wide going into the first time but then Johnny (Velazquez) did good and saved ground from there. She seemed to handle that wet track really well and that is encouraging. We got beaten by a tremendous filly and there is no shame in that. We really liked her race."
Left: Carrying the Kentucky Oaks trophy and flowers over to the infield. Dylan Davis aboard pacesetter and 9th place finisher La Cara said, "She broke sharp and I was able to get to the lead like I wanted to. We got more pressure than I thought we'd get. She started pulling away a little bit in the turn but ended up getting tired late."
Right: Close-up of the Kentucky Oaks trophy. Cox, celebrating his third Oaks win, added, "Shedaresthedevil, I don't feel there was a tremendous amount of pressure with her, given the fact she was, whatever she was, 12-1. She didn't have a target on her back or anything. Obviously, a good bit of pressure with Monomoy Girl being the favorite. There's a little pressure when you're the favorite. But look, we get up every day and just try to do as well as we can. Great team. Great horses. Great owners. You get results like this if it all works out. Sometimes it doesn't, but today it did."
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