February 16, 2025
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
League of Their Own
Good Cheer, who is now 5-for-5 after claiming this past Saturday’s $282,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds, is nearing a level of dominance achievable only by one of the sporting world’s most profound performers.
That megastar, Shohei Ohtani, went a perfect 6-for-6 against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19, 2024.
Baseball crossover aside, Good Cheer’s exemplary efforts have her on a rocket-propelled trajectory.
The 3-year-old filly, and now multiple graded stakes winner (Grade 2 Golden Rod on Nov. 30), has already amassed $637,630 in purse earnings.
Good Cheer’s latest success, which came as the overwhelming 1-9 choice, paid $2.10.
Reset the Scale
Heading into Saturday’s $500,000 Risen Star (G2) at 43-1, Magnitude’s chances of winning the 1 1/8-mile affair were about equal to that of the Toronto Blue Jays’ chances of winning the 2025 World Series (+4500 or 45-1 on bet365).
While we’ll have to wait and see on The Blue Birds, Magnitude set the tone with an extraordinary 9 3/4-length gate-to-wire triumph.
Leaving the 12-horse contest as the board’s seventh choice, the 3-year-old colt delivered a career-best outing to stun the Fair Grounds faithful.
Prior to the Risen Star, Magnitude hadn’t sniffed the money in two attempts at the graded tier (seventh in Grade 3 Iroquois, sixth in Grade 3 Lecomte).
The Steve Asmussen trainee was a boon for the handful of bettors who sided with him, paying a whopping $88.40.
It’s in the Name
A sweet showing from Taking Candy in Saturday’s $175,000 Mineshaft (G3T) at Fair Grounds earned the 4-year-old his first career stakes tally in try number two.
Following a brief hiatus from graded competition – Taking Candy made three starts at the stakes and allowance levels following a second in the 2023 Grade 2 Saranac – the Cherie DeVaux charge looked the part of a seasoned graded contender in his return.
Tabbed as the third choice at 3-1, Taking Candy benefitted from a perfectly timed surge to slide ahead of 10-1 foe Higgins Boat for the one-length clearance.
The fourth and most memorable score of Taking Candy’s nine-race career paid $8.60.
No Need to Rush
It took 14 starts for Dazzling Move to reach the graded stakes rank, but the 4-year-old filly proved the wait was well worth it.
Taking post six in the $165,000 Royal Delta (G3) at Gulfstream Park, Dazzling Move fought hard to close the gap on Grand Job and upset the 4-5 favorite by just under a length.
The remarkable romp netted the veteran racer her fourth career win from 15 starts and first since Sept. 28 (0-for-3 in that span).
In doing so, she also ended Grand Job’s unbeaten streak on North American soil at two.
At 7-2, Dazzling Move paid a cool $9.20.
Keep on Rollin’
Roll On Big Joe made quick work of four counterparts with a smooth four-length score in Saturday’s $100,000 Palos Verdes (G3) at Santa Anita.
The 5-year-old gelding certainly did not disappoint in his second start of 2025, leading throughout the six-furlong tilt to secure his fifth career win with ease.
While landing on the podium has been the MO for Roll On Big Joe across 15 lifetime starts (5-5-1), the Robert Hess Jr. trainee has found his footing of late, rattling off consecutive wins for the second time in his career.
As the 2-1 second choice, Roll On Big Joe paid $6 flat.
