The Grade 2, $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes is a significant event on Churchill Downs's road to the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (G1). It offers qualifying points to the top five finishers, making it a crucial race for many. Brad Cox's duo of Good Cheer and Eclatant top the 1 1/16-mile event. Good Cheer, the morning-line favorite at 4-5, won the Rags to Riches Stakes in October. Eclatant makes her graded-stakes debut.

A Race with High Stakes and Promising Contenders

1. Eclatant (5-2)

Trained by Brad Cox, Eclatant is a Stonestreet homebred. French for brilliant or shining, she is undefeated in two starts. Her debut was a 5 1/2-furlong maiden event at Churchill Downs, where the runner-up went on to win the Pocahontas (G3). In her next race, a six-furlong, high-level optional claimer at Keeneland, she showed her potential with moderate urging from jockey Florent Geroux. Eclatant received Equibase speed figures of 91 and 86 in her two races. Cox has a 36% win rate and a 66% in-the-money rate with runners stretching out from a sprint to a route. Eclatant is a daughter of Into Mischief and a half-sister to Grade 3-winning turf miler Mutasaabeq. Her Brisnet Speed Rating rose to 90 in her second race, and her late-pace figure is 91, good enough for third best in the Golden Rod field. She should have no problem with two turns and her rail post will help her save ground early.Eclatant was professional in both starts, and Florent Geroux rode with confidence. She breaks quickly and is content to settle off the pace. In her second start, she tracked swift quarters before taking over to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Her dam is by Scat Daddy, and she has a solid pedigree.

2. Fixin to Bee (15-1)

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Fixin to Bee is a turf runner who finally won in her third career start. Her debut was a fifth-place finish in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden event at Ellis Park. She then finished fourth in a one-mile maiden race at Kentucky Downs before winning by a neck in a one-mile maiden race at Keeneland. Fixin to Bee's Equibase speed figures have risen from 58 to 71 and then 81, but how she will perform on dirt remains to be seen. Arnold has a 10% win rate and a 43% in-the-money rate with turf-to-dirt runners. John Velazquez gets the call for the first time and will be her fourth jockey in as many starts.Fixin to Bee gradually improved to graduate in her third start over the lawn. She has a solid turf pedigree and is out of the multiple stakes-winning turf miler Susie Bee. Her top Brisnet rating is 78, but her stride isn't as smooth as her competitors, and she struggles to keep pace.

3. Good Cheer (4-5)

Also from the Brad Cox barn, Good Cheer is undefeated in three starts and has won by a combined 30 lengths. She made her debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, winning by 8 1/4 lengths. At Churchill Downs, she won a 1 1/16-mile, high-level optional claimer by 17 lengths and then annexed the Rags to Riches Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths. Good Cheer's debut race produced an eventual winner and a next-out winner. Her second race featured a stakes-placed runner, and she beat a Grade 1-placed runner in the Rags to Riches. This Godolphin homebred received Equibase speed figures of 69 in her debut and 94 in her two starts at Churchill Downs. The only concern is that she has yet to face more than four rivals in any of her races. Good Cheer is a Godolphin homebred, a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, and out of multiple Grade 1 winner Wedding Toast. Her second dam is a half to multiple Grade 1 winner Conagree. She earned a 90 Brisnet rating in the Rags to Riches.Good Cheer is untested in a trio of starts despite facing trouble twice. She was squeezed back at the start of her debut but overcame it. In the Rags to Riches Stakes, she ping-ponged between rivals but was able to save ground and win.

4. Quietside (3-1)

Trained by John Ortiz, Quietside was a debut winner at Saratoga in a six-furlong maiden event. She then faced three-time Grade 1 winner Immersive in the Spinaway (G1) and Alcibiades (G1), finishing second and third respectively. In the Alcibiades, she was three to five wide the entire way and was unfocused through the stretch but still gained ground. Her Alcibiades was a reasonable attempt, and she can improve on it in this drop in company.After graduating at Saratoga, Quietside had two unfortunate meet-ups with Immersive. She shipped for the Alcibiades while trying two turns for the first time and was unfocused but still finished third. She is the first competitor out of Grade 2-winning sprinter Benner Island and has a solid pedigree.

5. Sturgeon Moon (20-1)

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Sturgeon Moon debuted a winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis and then was second in a six-furlong allowance race. She won a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Keeneland. Sturgeon Moon's debut field produced two eventual winners, and her second race produced an Indiana-bred stakes-placed runner. Her Brisnet ratings are stuck in the 70s. She is by the first-crop sire Instagrand and has a sprinter-miler pedigree. She is the first competitor out of an unraced Warrior's Reward mare. Her dam is half to Grade 3-placed sprinter Ferocious.After graduating at first asking, Sturgeon Moon regressed slightly in her second start but showed tactical speed in her latest contest and won in a visually impressive move.

6. My Lil Punky (30-1)

Trained by John Ennis, My Lil Punky took three starts to break her maiden. She was third in a six-furlong event at Ellis Park and second in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Churchill Downs before winning in a six-furlong maiden event at Keeneland. Her winning time was an average 1:11.97, and she earned a career-best 82 speed rating. She is out of a winning Posse mare and has a solid distaff line.My Lil Punky improved in each outing and visited the winner's circle in her last start, but she appears a cut below the best and could regress off her maiden victory.

7. Flash Wear (20-1)

Trained by Thomas Vance, Flash Wear also took three tries to find the winner's circle. She was third on debut and second in her next race at Churchill Downs before winning by an easy four lengths in a one-mile maiden event. Her Brisnet rating is 84, and her 93 late pace figure is the second highest in the Golden Rod field. She is by the first-crop sire Instilled Regard and is a half-sister to stakes-winning turf miler Flashiest.Flash Wear graduated in her third start and drew off by four lengths. She should handle the extra distance and is worth a look for lower exotics.Final thoughtsAshley: This race clearly shows the difference between the top contenders and the rest. The three favorites look strong, and the other four entrants are less likely to win. Good Cheer's final times at the Golden Rod distance are not as fast as the track record, but she has shown her ability in different races. Eclatant will be stretching out to two turns for the first time, and Cox and Geroux have a good track record with this. Quietside had an excuse in the Alcibiades and could do well in this race.Laurie: In the last 15 years, most Golden Rod winners hit the top three in their previous start. The favorites have a good chance of winning, and I'll play the spoiler with Quietside on top. She has the potential to win and could be a value pick.SelectionsAshley: 3. Good Cheer (4-5), 4. Quietside (3-1), 1. Eclatant (5-2)Laurie: 3. Good Cheer (4-5), 4. Quietside (3-1), 1. Eclatant (5-2)