A small however proficient discipline of seven 2-year-old fillies will race 1 1/16 miles over the Churchill Downs grime in Saturday’s $400,000 Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes, an essential cease on the 2024-25 street to the Longines Kentucky Oaks.
Do you know every of the final three Kentucky Oaks winners began within the Golden Rod the earlier 12 months? That’s proper, Secret Oath, Fairly Mischievous, and Thorpedo Anna completed fifth, third, and second within the Golden Rod the final three years earlier than returning to Churchill Downs months later to win the Kentucky Oaks. Will we see the 2025 Kentucky Oaks winner compete on this 12 months’s Golden Rod? There’s a great probability, as a result of the caliber of competitors is powerful.
Arguably essentially the most thrilling Golden Rod entrant is #3 Good Cheer, an undefeated Godolphin homebred conditioned by two-time Kentucky Oaks-winning coach Brad Cox. Good Cheer hasn’t been challenged in three begins and appears like a severe graded stakes star within the making.
Good Cheer opened her profession out of the highlight at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Favored to win a one-mile maiden particular weight race, Good Cheer rated off the early tempo earlier than taking on to win by 8 1/4 lengths. Subsequent up was a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Churchill Downs. Once more, Good Cheer began as the favourite and once more, she obliterated her rivals, rallying from final place in a five-horse discipline to win by 17 lengths. This runaway victory warranted a begin in Churchill’s 1 1/16-mile Rags to Riches Stakes on the street to the Kentucky Oaks. In customary style, Good Cheer settled off the early tempo earlier than swooping previous rivals to win by 4 3/4 lengths.
If you happen to’re a fan of Brisnet Pace rankings, it’s value noting Good Cheer’s final two victories have yielded rankings of 93 and 92, the 2 highest numbers within the Golden Rod discipline. Any method you slice it, this undefeated filly is the quickest of the Golden Rod entrants and the runner to beat below sizzling jockey Luis Saez. In line with Brisnet statistics, Saez has received at a lofty 41% price teaming up with Cox over the past two months.
Horseplayers planning to guess the Golden Rod can really feel assured taking part in Good Cheer on high of their tickets. To spice up the possible payoffs, we advocate pursuing unique wagers just like the exacta (choose the highest two finishers so as) and the trifecta (choose the highest three finishers so as).
Two fillies seem to have robust possibilities at ending second or third within the Golden Rod. They’re #1 Eclatant and #4 Quietside.
Quietside already has expertise in opposition to top-tier competitors. The daughter of Malibu Moon received her debut in a maiden particular weight race sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga. She then completed second in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes racing seven furlongs. Within the Spinaway, Quietside was overwhelmed just one 1/4 lengths by Immersive, who appears sure to be voted champion 2-year-old filly of 2024 after following up her Spinaway success with wins within the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Quietside received a rematch with Immersive within the Alcibiades, however didn’t fare as properly over the 1 1/16-mile distance, ending third by 3 1/4 lengths. Dropping at school for the Golden Rod ought to assist Quietside’s possibilities on Saturday, nevertheless it’s doable she’s higher at dash distances shorter than 1 1/16 miles.
In distinction, Eclatant has but to run farther than six furlongs, however her pedigree by Into Mischief out of a mare by Scat Daddy suggests 1 1/16 miles received’t be a problem. Skilled by Brad Cox, Eclatant debuted on June 21 at Churchill Downs, successful a maiden particular weight race by 1 3/4 lengths over future Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes winner La Cara. She subsequently spent a while on the sidelines however returned on Oct. 4 at Keeneland to win a $100,000 allowance elective claiming race by 1 1/4 lengths, incomes a 90 Brisnet Pace score. There’s a powerful risk Eclatant will enhance in her second begin off the layoff. She seems like the principle risk to her stablemate Good Cheer, so we’ll favor her for second place over Quietside.
Relying on how a lot cash you want to spend betting the Golden Rod, listed below are two wagering methods to contemplate:
Wagering Technique on a $10 Finances
$10 exacta: 3 with 1
What to say on the betting window: Churchill Downs, ninth race, $10 exacta 3 with 1
Wagering Technique on a $30 Finances
$20 exacta: 3 with 1
What to say on the betting window: Churchill Downs, ninth race, $20 exacta 3 with 1
$10 trifecta: 3 with 1 with 4
What to say on the betting window: Churchill Downs, ninth race, $10 trifecta 3 with 1 with 4
Good luck and benefit from the race!
