Fair Grounds: Good Cheer, Hall of Fame, Taking Candy win stakes

Good Cheer kept her perfect record intact with a decisive 6 1/4-length victory Saturday in the 45th running of the Grade 2, $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) points prep watered down because of a scratched-down field of four.

Bred and owned by Godolphin, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Sáez, Good Cheer went off as the 1-9 favorite and covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.12.

Click here for Fair Grounds entries and results.

“She did it pretty easy,” Sáez said. “She’s a really easy filly to ride. We knew we had the best horse in the race and she got a little schooling today.”

Good Cheer tracked early in third, sitting just off the pace set by Gowells Delight, who faced mild pressure to her outside from Aledean. The order remained unchanged up the backstretch as Gowells Delight set a composed half-mile in 48.35 seconds.

Approaching the top of the homestretch, Bless the Broken made a middle move, drawing three wide and briefly relegating Good Cheer to fourth. Just inside the quarter pole, Good Cheer found room outside Gowells Delight and surged clear of her rivals.

The Rachel Alexandra marked Good Cheer’s first start as a 3-year-old, and with the victory that returned $2.20 to win, she secured 25 qualifying points toward the Oaks.

The race would have been worth 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five had their been six starters. Instead, the scratching of Ballerina d’Oro, Simply Joking and Anomina reduced the field to four and triggered a new Churchill Downs Inc. rule that halves the points for 50- and 100-point Derby and Oaks preps with fewer than five starters. As a result, Gowells Delight picked up 12 1/2 points for finishing second, Bless the Broken 7 1/2 for third and Aledean five for fourth.

Good Cheer, who already had 20 points for her wins as a 2-year-old in the Rags to Riches and the Golden Rod (G2), has 45 points to lead the Oaks qualifying standings.

A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Street Sense mare Wedding Toast, Good Cheer improved her record to 5-for-5, boosting her earnings to $637,630.

“We’re very proud of her effort to comeback like this as a 3-year-old,” Cox said. “Her record speaks for itself. She always shows up and runs a top effort. Today was no different. It was a short field, but she still showed up to run her race.”

Hall of Fame is heads-up in Mineshaft

Highly regarded 4-year-old colt Hall of Fame surged late to get his head in front of 14-1 long shot Komorebino Omoide at the wire to win the 40th running of the $250,000 Mineshaft (G3)

Owned by Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Gandharvi and Brook Smith, Hall of Fame was ridden by José Ortiz for trainer Steve Asmussen. The son of Gun Runner covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89 to secure the fourth victory of his career.

After an even beginning, Ortiz positioned Hall of Fame in third, tracking Maycocks Bay who led Komorebino Omoide through an opening quarter in 24.46 seconds. After a half-mile in 48.60 seconds, Komorebino Omoide began to find his best stride and drew even with the leader at the quarter pole.

As they reached the middle of the homestretch, Ortiz angled Hall of Fame three wide, and Komorebino Omoide began to draw clear of Maycocks Bay. Inside the final sixteenth of a mile, Hall of Fame began to find his best stride but Komorebino Omoide fought back along the rail. At the wire Hall of Fame prevailed by a head.

After the race jockey Jansen Melancon lodged an objection against Ortiz for interference in the stretch, but stewards disallowed the claim.

“He broke great and put me in a great position down the backside,” Ortiz said. “Steve and his team did a really good job with him, and it showed with him having to battle down the lane after a slow pace early.”

Maycocks Bay held third, finishing 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Batten Down. Heroic Move, Tuscan Sky, Catching Freedom and Warrior Johny completed the order of finish.

Hall of Fame, the 8-5 favorite, returned $5.40, $4.20 and $3. Komorebino Omoide paid $9.40 and $5. Maycocks Bay, under Ben Curtis, returned $7 to show.

With the victory Hall of Fame improved his career record to 7: 4-1-0, boosting his earnings to $322,960.

A Kentucky-bred son of Gun Runner out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Flag Day, Hall of Fame was bred by Earle Mack.

Taking Candy looks sweet in Fair Grounds

Taking Candy, owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, scored his first graded-stakes victory in the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3).

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Taking Candy was piloted by Irad Ortiz Jr. In his first try at 1 1/18 miles, the son of Twirling Candy stopped the clock at 1:50.44 over a firm turf course. 

After breaking sharply, Taking Candy positioned himself nicely to track Higgins Boat who showed the way, clipping through opening fractions of 23.63 and 49.62 seconds. Maneuvered to the rail by Irad Ortiz, Taking Candy saved every inch in the second turn. As the homestretch opened to the field of nine males, Higgins Boat continued to ward off the bids of his stalkers while Taking Candy tipped out and produced the winning bid, finishing 1 length ahead of Higgins Boat.

“It was a beautiful trip,” Irad Ortiz said. “He traveled so good. I kept him back and bided my time. When he got in the clear, my colt was there for me.”

What Say Thee rallied late for third followed by Idratherbeblessed, Unit Economics, Money Supply, Relampago Verde, Gigante and Dean Martini. 

“Taking Candy has been a horse that has had a couple issues along the way,” DeVaux said. “Every time he runs, he tries. It’s rewarding that the Jacksons have been so patient with him and have allowed us to do our job to the best of our abilities.  I really just wanted to get him back to the races. He came in looking fantastic and ready to fire.”

Taking Candy returned $8.60, $5.00 and $3.80. Piloted by Declan Cannon, Higgins Boat paid $10.60 and $6. What Say Thee, under Sáez, returned $4 to show.

Making the Fair Grounds the fourth victory of his nine-race career, Taking Candy improved his career record to 9: 4-2-1 and boosted his earnings to $280,730.