Good Cheer, presumably the best 3-year-old filly in North America, won the Kentucky Oaks by more than two lengths and earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Nitrogen, definitely the best 3-year-old turf filly and arguably the second-best horse of her generation, won the Edgewood Stakes by more than three lengths, earning an 88 Beyer.
Neither of those two, at least on Beyers, was the fastest 3-year-old filly to race last week at Churchill Downs. Shred the Gnar holds that distinction, with her 94 Beyer from a first-level, two-turn dirt allowance romp on May 2 ranking as the highest 3-year-old filly figure of 2025.
It’s not just the numbers, not just one race. Shred the Gnar finished fast and missed by a neck debuting over six furlongs Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park. She came back five weeks later and won a one-turn mile maiden race by 6 1/2 lengths, good for an 89 Beyer.
The filly, by Into Mischief out of Aspen Light, has plenty of speed but relaxes for her rider. Last week, a decent Juddmonte homebred, Chasten, came to her at the quarter pole. Shred the Gnar said buh-bye and won by more than seven.
“She’s been nothing but impressive,” said Brian Lynch, who trains Shred the Gnar for Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing. “I wouldn’t be frightened to try the Acorn with her.”
The Acorn, a Grade 1, $500,000 contest over 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga, comes June 6. It’s also a logical spot for Good Cheer.
“We’ve always held a very high opinion of her, and it’s been lovely to watch her progress. We get excited about running her farther, too. She’s got such an efficient action,” Lynch said.
Lynch also has Saratoga plans for another Churchill runner from last weekend, Highway Robber. Racing over a 1 1/8-mile distance short of his best, Highway Robber still finished third, beaten one length, in the $1 million Turf Classic, earning a career-best 100 Beyer. Lynch has Highway Robber penciled into another $1 million grass race, the 1 3/16-mile Manhattan on June 7.
Highway Robber, a 5-year-old owned by Susan and Jim Hill, hit a peak late last summer and fall in 1 1/2-mile races, finishing second in the $2 million Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs before winning the Sycamore at Keeneland. His owners over the winter sent the horse to Dubai, where he finished a distant seventh on March 1 in the Dubai City of Gold. No harm, no foul – Highway Robber picked up his North American career right where it had left off.
Plans are more fluid for Lynch and Flying Dutchmen’s Kentucky Derby runner, Owen Almighty, the horse who held up best among those racing anywhere near the Derby’s strong pace, staying on for fifth. Lynch said Owen Almighty seemed well coming out of the Derby but that connections would “let the dust settle a little bit” before deciding what’s next.
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