Alabama guide: Good Cheer faces toughest rival yet

Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer could etch her name among glittering legends as she returns from a streak-snapping, fifth-place finish to race Saturday in the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

This venerable race for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles has been run since 1872. Greats like Shuvee, Desert Vixen, Mom’s Command, Go For Wand have won the Alabama. So have more recent champions Silverbulletday, Songbird and Malathaat.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

Good Cheer, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, was unbeaten in seven starts before La Cara ran off with the Acorn (G1) on a sloppy Saratoga track that favored frontrunners June 6. Whether it was the track condition or just the wear of a long campaign, Good Cheer barely picked up her feet. With time off and sharp works coming in, she has a chance to get back to her best.

She will need her best to take on Nitrogen, a brilliant turf runner who also is coming in off a loss. Hers was by a nose in a tight photo. Nitrogen has hit the board in every start and won five stakes in a row before the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) broke her streak. The question mark is the surface. She never has run on a fast dirt track. The Wonder Again (G3) was taken off the turf, and scratches brought it down to only three entrants. Nitrogen romped. She, too, is sired by Medaglia d’Oro, whose fillies have found success at the highest level on all surfaces.

Queen Azteca is the dark horse in the Alabama. The UAE Oaks (G3) winner shipped in from Sweden for her very first race in the U.S. The Sharp Azteca filly finished a good fifth against males in the UAE Derby (G2) behind Triple Crown race runners Admire Daytona and Heart of Honor. Team Valor bought Queen Azteca last month, and she is trained now by Rodolphe Brisset.

Get to know all the Alabama starters here.

The Alabama is race 10, post time 5:44 p.m. EDT. It will be shown as part of "Saratoga Live" on Fox from 4 to 6 p.m. The entire card is available for live streaming via NYRABets and on the NYRA YouTube page.

Free past performances for the Alabama and other graded stakes are courtesy of Brisnet.

Here are the top lifetime speed figures the Alabama entrants.

*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are presented courtesy of Daily Racing Form.

HRN handicappers

HRN’s Ed DeRosa is more excited to bet Nitrogen in the Alabama than any other race all year.

“Given that Nitrogen could be the third choice against this group,” he said, “I am going to gamble that (her Wonder Again) performance and the numbers that came with it are indicative of her dirt prowess. And considering her pedigree, by Medaglia d’Oro out of an Uncle Mo mare, there is no reason to think that is not the case at a decent price.”

Head-to-Head handicappers Laurie Ross and Ashley Tamulonis weigh the Good Cheer-La Cara rematch in a division-defining battle. 

HorseCenter takes a look at the state of the turf division in the U.S. at this point in the year and who has the best trajectory headed into the fall and Breeders’ Cup season. Matt and Brian also examine the Alabama field and come up with the same filly. You may not guess who it is.

This week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod focuses on the global racing scene with FanDuel TV’s Ashley Mailloux checking in for the King’s Plate at Woodbine and sportscaster Kenny Mayne sharing stories about his adventure at Italy’s Palio di Siena bareback race. Mike Shutty has handicapping advice for both the King’s Plate and Alabama. Listen here.

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