The race for 3-year-old filly championship honors looked like it could be a done deal May 2 when Godolphin homebred Good Cheer romped in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs to keep her unbeaten streak alive.
However, when the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro failed to fire in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, La Cara took advantage and placed herself in contention as the only sophomore filly with multiple grade 1 wins this year.
Now, with the addition of top turf filly Nitrogen switching to dirt, the showdown on tap in Saratoga's $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) will go a long way in swaying Eclipse Award voters.
All three of the top choices have something to prove Saturday. For Good Cheer, it's that she's back to the top of her game.
Video
The filly has remained at Saratoga since the Acorn under the eye of Blake Cox, son and assistant trainer of Brad Cox. Both he and jockey Luis Saez feel the two-month break from racing since her defeat has put her back in the form she was in ahead of the Oaks.
"She's doing it the way she's supposed to," Saez, who will ride the filly from post 2, said after an Aug. 9 workout. "I feel like she's 100% now."
READ: Good Cheer Feels 100% to Saez Ahead of Alabama
Good Cheer will be joined to her inside by Cox-trained stablemate Margie's Intention, who races for WinStar Farm and Tom Mueller. The Louisiana-bred winner of the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) in May is exiting the June 14 Delaware Oaks (G3), where she was stuck last of nine early before rallying to finish second behind the loose leader, Fondly.
Blake Cox said one of the key points of confidence for the Honor A. P. filly is the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Alabama.
"She's a filly that doesn't have a lot of speed and just stays on very well," he said. "In Delaware, she ran very well. There wasn't a lot of pace in the race, and she still came running."
For both Good Cheer and Margie's Intention, Cox said their ability to drop the bridle and relax will help them over the added ground.
In both her last two starts, Margie's Intention has defeated Kinzie Queen, who has made solid off-the-pace runs to earn a pair of graded placings. The McKinzie filly breaks from post 3 Saturday for owners John Holleman and Greg Compton, who also trains.
Casse Holds Strong Hand with La Cara, Nitrogen
However, the main challenge to the Cox barn will be the barn of Mark Casse. With both La Cara and Nitrogen, the dual Hall of Fame trainer holds a strong hand in the pace dynamics of the race.
"Casse's filly (La Cara) looks a little loose (on the lead), but the fillies are going a mile and a quarter," Cox said. "Not a lot of fillies want to do it, so we'll see what happens and play the break. I'm sure his filly will be loose on the lead, and hopefully we can run her down."
That early foot has made La Cara a daunting presence this year, holding a 3-1-0 record from five starts. Her lone misfire came over a wet-fast Churchill Downs track in the Kentucky Oaks, a surface that Casse and rider Dylan Davis said she did not prefer.
The Tracy Farmer homebred missed her intended prep for the Alabama, the July 19 Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1), after her barn was placed under a precautionary quarantine the morning of the race.
READ: More Training for La Cara After Coaching Club Scratch
Since then, Casse has stepped up her training to which the Street Sense filly has responded positively. Entering Saturday, Casse said he is not the least bit concerned about her physical fitness, but more about the fact she was knocked out of the race pattern she's held all season.
"She was in a nice race pattern, so that's a little disappointing," Casse said. "I've tried to do a little bit more with her than I normally do (in the mornings). Hopefully that works, but it's a little concerning."
Video
Breaking from the far outside in the six-horse field, La Cara's speed will likely play a strong role in the outcome of the race, win or lose. The only other filly in the field who has exhibited a constant ability to lay close to the pace is her stablemate, Nitrogen.
A strong force in the sophomore filly turf division this spring for D. J. Stable, the Medaglia d'Oro filly showed a glimpse of being able to translate that form to the dirt when the June 7 Wonder Again Stakes (G3) was moved from the Saratoga turf to dirt after a storm.
Facing just two remaining turf rivals may have exaggerated her 17-length margin of victory on that day, but what was not exaggerated was the ease and motion she exhibited while skipping over the sloppy footing. Her one-mile final time of 1:36.16 fell just .27 short of the time posted by 4-year-old colt Raging Torrent two races later in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), giving Casse the confidence to consider a return to dirt in top company.
"I was a little concerned it was just the wet track," Casse said. "Since I've breezed her a couple times on the dirt, it's not the wet track. She likes the dirt."
Casse said he believes the 1 1/4 miles will be a plus for Nitrogen. Of course, until they actually run the distance, it will be a question mark for all the fillies ... except one.
Queen Azteca a Wild Card in Alabama
Invading from Sweden, Team Valor International's Queen Azteca is the lone runner in the field to have raced beyond 1 1/8 miles. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Sharp Azteca won the 1 3/16-mile UAE Oaks (G3) in February and a 1 3/8-mile prep race for the Swedish Derby. In the 1 1/2-mile Swedish Derby July 13, she finished second beaten 1 3/4 lengths.
Although ambitious for taking the shot, Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin was realistic about their chances on the Aug. 4 episode of the BloodHorse Monday podcast.
"She breaks okay, she lays back; she's like riding a bicycle," Irwin said. "Eventually, if the race is long enough, she'll get up there. We're hoping to hit the board. We're not going into the race with any fantasies like we're going to win, but a mile and a quarter for her will help."
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 16, 2025, Race 10Entries: Alabama S. Presented by Keeneland Sales (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Margie's Intention (LA) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Brad H. Cox - 2 Good Cheer (KY) Luis Saez 122 Brad H. Cox - 3 Kinzie Queen (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 Greg Compton - 4 Nitrogen (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Mark E. Casse - 5 Queen Azteca (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Niels Petersen - 6 La Cara (KY) Dylan Davis 122 Mark E. Casse -
