Saratoga: Alabama 2025 draw features La Cara, Good Cheer
La Cara and Good Cheer, who have split their two meetings at the highest level, will be matched again Saturday in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.
Six 3-year-old fillies were entered Sunday for the 1 1/4-mile, main-track race worth $600,000.
Click here for Saratoga entries and results.
La Cara, who was sired by Street Sense, won at 7-1 odds June 6 in the Acorn (G1) covering 1 1/8 miles on Saratoga’s main track. Good Cheer, who had been 7-for-7, finished third in the slop that day.
The Kentucky Oaks (G1) provided Good Cheer, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, with the biggest win of her young career. La Cara settled for ninth place on the wet-fast Churchill Downs surface.
Trained by Mark Casse for breeder-owner Tracy Farmer, La Cara drew the widest post and will be ridden again by Dylan Davis. Good Cheer, a Godolphin homebred who is trained by Brad Cox, will have her usual jockey Luis Sáez going from post 2.
Nitrogen, a four-time graded-stakes winner and stablemate of La Cara, has built her résumé with four turf victories. In her lone dirt start, she won by 17 lengths against only two rivals in the off-the-turf Wonder Again (G3) on June 7 in the Saratoga slop. José Ortiz keeps the ride and goes from post 4.
Delaware Oaks (G3) runner-up Margie’s Intention, Group 3-winning Europe shipper Queen Azteca and allowance winner Kinzie Queen also were entered in the Alabama.
2025 Alabama G1
No. | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Margie's Intention Honor A. P. |
7.27 | Brad Cox Irad Ortiz Jr. |
2nd, 2025 Delaware Oaks G3 | Entered | |
Last race | 2nd, 2025 Delaware Oaks G3 | |||||
2 | Good Cheer Medaglia d'Oro |
7.86 | Brad Cox Luis Saez |
5th, 2025 Acorn G1 | Entered | |
Last race | 5th, 2025 Acorn G1 | |||||
3 | Kinzie Queen McKinzie |
6.67 | Greg Compton Junior Alvarado |
3rd, 2025 Delaware Oaks G3 | Entered | |
Last race | 3rd, 2025 Delaware Oaks G3 | |||||
4 | Nitrogen Medaglia d'Oro |
7.64 | Mark Casse Jose Ortiz |
2nd, 2025 Belmont Oaks G1 | Entered | |
Last race | 2nd, 2025 Belmont Oaks G1 | |||||
5 | Queen Azteca Sharp Azteca |
6.12 | Niels Petersen Joel Rosario |
5th, 2025 UAE Derby G2 | Entered | |
Last race | 5th, 2025 UAE Derby G2 | |||||
6 | La Cara Street Sense |
7.82 | Mark Casse Dylan Davis |
1st, 2025 Acorn G1 | Entered | |
Last race | 1st, 2025 Acorn G1 |