Good Cheer faces Casse duo in Alabama

Aug 13, 2025 James Scully/Brisnet.com

Good Cheer shown winning the Golden Rod (Photo by Coady Media)

Saturday’s $600,000 Alabama (G1) serves as a divisional showdown for three-year-old fillies, with Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer squaring off against the talented Mark Casse-trained duo of La Cara and Nitrogen. A total of six runners are set for the 1 1/4-mile test.

A convincing winner of her first seven career starts, including the Kentucky Oaks (G1) in early May, Good Cheer saw her win streak come to an end with a flat fifth as the odds-on favorite in the Acorn (G1) on June 6. Brad Cox has freshened the Godolphin homebred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro 71 days in advance of the Alabama, and the late-running bay filly will look to reassert her divisional supremacy with regular rider Luis Saez.

Good Cheer stays perfect in the Kentucky Oaks!! 🌸🏆@bradcoxracing @luissaezpty @godolphin

🎥 TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/oSv5L4EJm2

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 2, 2025

“Few fillies have won the Kentucky Oaks undefeated, so to be among them is a very special thing,” assistant trainer Blake Cox said. “Hopefully, we can get her back to form and finish the year off strong.”

After an unplaced finish in the Kentucky Oaks, La Cara rebounded stylishly in the Acorn, recording her second Grade 1 victory of the season with a three-length gate-to-wire decision, and the speedy daughter of Street Sense controls her destiny. La Cara looks like the one to catch with Dylan Davis.

Her stablemate, Nitrogen, was a dominant force in the three-year-old filly turf division, recording four consecutive graded wins prior to switching to the main track with a 17-length romp in the off-the-turf Wonder Again (G3) in early June. Her five-race win streak was snapped with a nose second in the Belmont Oaks (G1) last month, but Nitrogen remains a viable divisional contender if she can carry her top-class form to dirt in the Alabama. Jose Ortiz rides.

“I think it's not set in stone, but this race is going to be a big deciding factor in who's going to be champion three-year-old filly,” Casse said. “Obviously, someone can go on and win the Breeders' Cup (Distaff [G1]) and that would trump whatever happens in the Alabama, but we'll have a clear-cut (divisional) leader once the dust is settled.”

Cox will also send out Black-Eyed Susan (G2) winner Margie’s Intentions, second most recently in the Delaware Oaks (G3). Black-Eyed Susan and Delaware Oaks third-placer Kinzie Queen and overseas raider Queen Azteca complete the field.