The Mother Goose Stakes highlights a terrific card Saturday at Belmont Park. This year’s 71st edition of the Mother Goose stacks up to be highly competitive as 11 3-year-old fillies are entered. Two Grade 1 winners are in the field: Iron Orchard, winner of the 2025 Frizette Stakes; and recent Cotillion Stakes winner Bodacious Bay. This race was previously run during the summer until 2023 and is now a fall showcase at the new Belmont Park. Through the years, the 1 1/16-mile Mother Goose has been won by a number of top-tier fillies including Rachel Alexandra, Close Hatches, Untapable, Midnight Bisou and Fully Subscribed all this century.
Here’s a look at the field from the inside (rail) post position out:
Cognition, a Practical Joke filly trained by Chad Brown, earned her first win last time out by four lengths at Keeneland racing seven furlongs on dirt. Cognition will be stepping up to graded company as well as a route distance for the first time after only two career starts and Flavien Prat opts to stay in the saddle. Answered Prayers, the first of two Bill Mott-trained entrants, comes off a runner-up finish in the Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in September. The Speightstown filly earned her first career win at Keeneland back in April at this 1 1/16-mile distance and will have Junior Alvarado aboard for the first time since horse and rider teamed up for an allowance optional win at Saratoga in August. Tap to Open won three consecutive races this summer including the Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx Racing in August. The daughter of Tapit will have a jockey switch from Flavien Prat to Manny Franco for trainer Brad Cox. Laken, the first of three Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemates in this race, won by seven lengths in her fourth career start at Horseshoe Indianapolis and then finished third last time out at the allowance optional level at Churchill Downs, back on June 26. The Good Magic filly will be coming off a more than four-month layoff in her first start since the trainer switch, and jockey Vincent Cheminaud will be in the irons for the first time. Iron Orchard, who won the Frizette Stakes last year and made a bid in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, will be making her fifth start since a trainer switch to Steve Asmussen. The Authentic filly dominated the Fleet Indian Stakes by 12 lengths in August at Saratoga but finished a distant eighth last time out in the Cotillion behind fellow Mother Goose contender Bodacious Bay. Dylan Davis rides. Ati Girl, the second Bill Mott entrant, did not win until her ninth career start in July at Saratoga, and she finished fifth last time out in the Alabama Stakes Presented by Keeneland Sales. The Nyquist filly will have John Velazquez back aboard.
Bodacious Bay won the Cotillion Stakes last time out by 3 ¼ lengths for Saffie Joseph Jr. The Not This Time filly has never finished out of the exacta from five career starts and won a maiden race by four lengths at this 1 1/16-mile distance on a sloppy Churchill Downs track in June. Micah Husbands, who was aboard for the win in the Cotillion, will stay in the irons for just his third career mount of the Belmont Park meet. Ivy Girl, a Maxfield filly trained by Amelia Green, is coming off a distant last-place finish in her most recent start, the Monmouth Oaks at the end of July. Ivy Girl is a two-time stakes winner having scored at Parx Racing and Laurel Park earlier in the year and will have Antonio Fresu aboard for the first time. Tahlequah, the third entrant for Saffie Joseph Jr., finished third by just two lengths at odds of 28-1 last time out in the Charles Town Oaks in August. The Authentic filly won a maiden race at this 1 1/16- mile distance at Oaklawn Park in April, was eased in the Delaware Oaks in June, and then rebounded with a good effort in the Charles Town Oaks. Paco Lopez will be aboard for the first time. Intrepids Fantasy, who is undefeated in three starts by a combined winning margin of 23 ½ lengths, ships in from Delaware Park for trainer Gary Capuano for the first time since being privately purchased. The Jess’s Dream filly will be stepping up to graded company for the first time in her career as well as stretching out to 1 1/16-miles on dirt. Jorge Ruiz will ride for the first time. Run Wild, a Gun Runner filly trained by Miguel Clement, drew the far outside post. Run Wild won her maiden race at this 1 1/16-mile distance at Monmouth Park in her third career start and dominated at the allowance level last time out at Laurel Park in September. Samuel Marin is named to ride for the first time.
Top Win Contenders and Analysis:
While Intrepids Fantasy will be taking a big jump in class, the Jess’s Dream filly has faced older fillies and mares before and passed with flying colors. In her debut race over Delaware Park’s main track, Intrepids Fantasy dueled down the lane and edged clear to win by 2 ½ lengths in her over favored Ms Sophistication, who went on to win her next two consecutive starts. Intrepids Fantasy returned a couple of months later in July at the allowance optional claiming level racing a mile on dirt at Delaware and drew clear to win by a tremendous 12 ¾ lengths, improving her Equibase Speed Figure from a 74 to an 83. Intrepids Fantasy again improved when stepping up in class rating last time out against older fillies and mares, once again drawing clear by 8 ¼ lengths and earning a 90 Equibase figure going a mile on a muddy Delaware Park track. Since that race, Intrepids Fantasy was privately purchased but has stayed with the Gary Capuano stable. While she is stuck outside in the Mother Goose with an early-speed run style, this is still just a one-turn race, which should mitigate the far outside draw. Intrepids Fantasy has been training remarkably well since her race in September, including a one-mile breeze mixed with four bullet works since the end of that month. Another thing to note: foals by Intrepids Fantasy’s dam, Intrepid Tour, are a career 10-for-19 in dirt routes (four of them have raced). Furthermore, progeny of Intrepids Fantasy’s, sire Jess’s Dream, win at 19% from 231 starts over the last five years at the 1 1/16-mile distance on dirt. Intrepids Fantasy will be facing the toughest test of her career; however, she has shown nothing but dominance and could very well best this field at a nice price around her 8-1 morning-line odds, especially considering she is 2-for-2 over wet dirt. This could be a key factor with rain in the forecast on Saturday.
Bodacious Bay fits the bill in nearly every way as a Mother Goose win contender, ranking first in middle and late pace with a 109.0 rating and also average speed with an 89 Equibase figure. Last time out in the Cotillion Stakes, Bodacious Bay drew clear to win by 3 ¼ lengths over Longines Kentucky Oaks victress Always a Runner, a filly that also finished second in two Saratoga Grade 1 races over the summer. Bodacious Bay has yet to give a bad effort in her career, finishing first twice and second three times through five starts. Following two runner-up finishes on sloppy tracks at Churchill Downs, she won her third start there by four lengths over same conditions back in June – which is ideal with a sloppy or muddy track expected at Belmont Park on Saturday. In the Monmouth Park Oaks in July, Bodacious Bay finished a game second to eventual stablemate My Miss Mo, and in her first start after joining the Saffie Joseph Jr. stable she romped in the Cotillion, earning a career best and best-in-this-field 101 Equibase field. Bodacious Bay has improved in every single start by speed figures and should stalk the pace here before unleashing a powerful stretch run. A meaningful positive is that jockey Micah Husbands will remain aboard. Over the past year, Husbands has been a go-to rider for Saffie Joseph in these spots when shipping in for a graded stakes try. In that timeframe, Husbands and Joseph have won at 33% in graded stakes together, with nine wins from 27 stars while finishing in the top three at a 41% rate with a 106% return on investment. While she will no doubt be the heavy favorite in the Mother Goose, Bodacious Bay should be on all your tickets.
Tap to Open is an interesting filly as owner-breeder Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm clearly has had high regard for her, considering she did not meet her reserve of $1.5 million when offered as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale in 2024 and remained with Pope. Tap to Open started her career at Fair Grounds, finishing third and sixth, but really started to shine in April at Oaklawn Park, where she finished second to Mother Goose foe Tahlequah in her debut by a length. Tap to Open reached the winner’s circle in fourth career start back in May when stretching out to 1 1/8 miles, and she then went on to win by three lengths at the allowance level at Ellis Park in July racing at one mile and on a wet track. The bay filly next made it three in a row when winning the Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx in August after battling back on the rail to post an impressive victory, earning a career-top 91 Equibase figure. Last time out, she finished a distant fourth in the Cotillion, but she also had a couple of excuses. Tap to Open stumbled out of the gate and was far back throughout the race while enduring a wide trip – much different than her usual efforts – but she still finished strong and was gaining with every stride in the final yards. If you cross out her race in the Cotillion, Tap to Open is a strong contender for the Mother Goose and could come back in a big way. Brad Cox is a terrific trainer and should have this filly ready to roll in this spot, and despite Flavien Prat opting to stay aboard Cognition, Tap to Open gets a more than suitable replacement with Manny Franco. Over the last three years at all NYRA tracks, Cox and Franco win at a solid 30% in all races together from 332 starts. Based on her last start, Tap to Open could be a forgotten contender, but she is a filly who knows how to win and could give a surprisingly big effort in the Mother Goose.
The rest of the field with their best Equibase Speed Figures in similar races, is Cognition (79), Answered Prayers (93), Laken (93), Iron Orchard (93), Ati Girl (90), Ivy Girl (79), Tahlequah (93) and Run Wild (92).
Win Contenders in Preference Order:
Intrepids Fantasy
Bodacious Bay
Tap to Open
