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.

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.