Kentucky Oaks: Catch up with contenders the morning after

Good Cheer stamped her name in the history books Friday with a decisive victory in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks, remaining unbeaten in seven starts for Godolphin and trainer Brad Cox.

It was quiet Saturday morning at Cox’s barn as his team prepped several horses to run in the afternoon inclduing Kentucky Derby contender Final Gambit.

“It was an exciting day,” Cox said. “She shows up every time, and all she does is keep winning.”

The win marked Cox’s third Kentucky Oaks triumph, following Monomoy Girl in 2018 and Shedaresthedevil in 2020.

By Medaglia d’Oro, Good Cheer is out of the Grade 1-winning mare Wedding Toast, who was trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, now the agent for winning jockey Luis Saez, bringing a full-circle moment to the team.

Cox said all major Grade 1 races for 3-year-old fillies are in play, with a long-term target of the Breeders’ Cup this fall.

Drexel Hill and Simply Joking: Trainer Whit Beckman had mixed emotions Saturday morning after Legion Racing’s Drexel Hill finished a fast-closing second in the Oaks while stablemate Simply Joking, who had to briefly check going into the first turn, finished last.

“(Drexel Hill) ran huge,” Beckman said. “It’s tough to finish second but then you think about it: and tell yourself that you finished second in the Oaks. It’s not so bad after all.”

Bless the Broken: Cypress Creek Equine and Madaket Stables’ Bless the Broken came out of her third-place Oaks finish in good order for trainer Will Walden.

“I’m so proud of her,” Walden said. “She was super wide on both turns and that’s a really nice filly who won. Our horse gave us all she had.”

Tenma: The California-based filly Tenma, who ran near the lead throughout the nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks Friday before falling back slightly to finish fourth under top California rider Juan Hernandez, was doing just fine at Barn 33 on the Churchill backside Saturday morning.

The daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist “ate up real well last night and she’s doing fine this morning,” Bob Baffert assistant trainer Jim Barnes reported.

The multiple-stakes winner will join Baffert’s sizable contingent of 14 horses who traveled from California for racing at Churchill as they head back west at some point in the coming week.

Anna’s Promise: Bell Racing’s Anna’s Promise came out of her fifth-place Oaks finish in good order for trainer Carlos David.

Quietside: Shortleaf Stable’s Quietside exited her sixth-place finish in the Oaks in good order and trainer John Ortiz said she would be rejoining his string at Keeneland in the next day or two.

Quickick: Greenwell Thoroughbreds’ Quickick “looks good this morning” said Kinnon LaRose, assistant to trainer Tom Amoss.

Amoss said no decision has been made on what’s next for Quickick, who was seventh in the Oaks.

Early On: C2 Racing Stable, Ken Reimer, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch and Bradley Kent’s Early On exited her eighth-place Oaks finish in good order.

“She looks good this morning,” said Nigel Burke, assistant to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “What’s next? That’s a question for Saffie. She has had a long campaign and that rain yesterday changed everything.”

La Cara: Tracy Farmer’s La Cara, who set the pace before fading to ninth, came out of her Oaks run in good order.

“I actually yelled a little bit at the top of the stretch,” trainer Mark Casse said of La Cara, who held the advantage as the Oaks field entered the stretch. Casse indicated a Saratoga start may be next for La Cara as well as for Nitrogen, an easy winner of Friday’s Edgewood (G2).

Ballerina d’Oro: Rodeo Creek Racing’s Ballerina d’Oro is scheduled to return to trainer Chad Brown’s main base at Belmont Park on Sunday following her 10th-place Oaks finish.

“She’s good this morning,” assistant Baldo Hernandez said. “I don’t think she liked the track yesterday.”

Fondly: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables’ Fondly is scheduled to return to trainer Graham Motion’s main base at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland on Monday according to assistant Alice Clapham. Fondly finished 11th in the Oaks.

Take Charge Milady: Trainer Kenny McPeek reported that James Ball, Magdalena Racing and Kenneth Rhodes’ Take Charge Milady was a tired filly Saturday morning after her Oaks run.

He also said that reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna may head to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington for a physical exam following her last-place finish in Friday’s La Troienne (G1).

“She got hit going into the first turn and that threw her off her a game a bit and that’s not like her,” McPeek said.