LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Neither a muddy track nor a shaky start to the biggest race of her career deterred Good Cheer from staying perfect.
The unbeaten filly rallied on the outside through the slop to overtake Tenma by the final furlong and win the 151st Kentucky Oaks by 2 1/4 lengths Friday at Churchill Downs.
Louisville-born trainer Brad Cox watched the heavy 6-5 favorite cover 1 1/8 miles in 1 minute, 50.15 seconds on a wet but sealed surface with jockey Luis Saez aboard. Good Cheer paid $4.78 to win, $3.62 to place and $3.02 to show for her seventh dominant victory.
The bay daughter of Megdalia d’Oro and Wedding Toast by Street entered the Kentucky Oaks with a combined victory margin of more than 42 lengths, and she added more distance to her resumé with a stunning surge.
It’s the biggest in a string of graded stakes wins dating to last fall, and it came with a garland of pink lilies.