NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Reddam Racing’s Cash Offer, last seen 29 days ago at Aqueduct graduating from the New York-bred allowance ranks with a rallying finish, replicated the trip versus state-bred stakes foes Saturday when she overhauled a pair of runners in the stretch to win Saturday’s $100,000 La Verdad, a 7-furlong test for older New York-bred fillies and mares.
A 4-year-old daughter of Shackleford, Cash Offer began her career with an unplaced effort in one start as a juvenile for Doug O’Neill at Los Alamitos, before trekking east to join Mark Hennig’s string on the NYRA circuit.
Never off the board in nine subsequent sprint starts, Cash Offer scored wins against maidens and both levels of New York-bred allowance horses for Hennig, even picking up a solid second-place finish in her stakes debut in the Bouwerie last May. Beaten that day by up-and-coming Chester and Mary Broman homebred Newly Minted, Cash Offer was up against another formidable Broman mare in the La Verdad: Pauseforthecause, who was looking for a third consecutive stakes win, and fourth straight win overall and was hammered at the windows to 1-2 favoritism.
Possessed of ample early speed, Cash Offer, the co-second choice at 4-1, gunned out of gate five under Jose Lezcano, but elected to let Pauseforthecause and Kept True go on with it to her inside, settling in third three lengths off the leaders. The top three raced well off the rail over the sloppy going.
Cash Offer continued to cruise in third as Pauseforthecause raced a measured length ahead of Kept True until midway around the bend when Kept True hooked the favorite. Once Kept True overtook Pauseforthecause, Cash Offer fanned out six wide into upper stretch for the drive. With as many as five lengths still to make up and two horses to pass, Cash Offer lengthened her stride under a drive.
NYRA/Coglianese Photos
Making up lost ground, she vaulted to the front inside the final furlong to win by one length. Kept True (4-1) finished second, while Pauseforthecause, for whom the off-going and seven furlongs proved to be a challenge, saved the bridge jumpers by checking in third another 2 1/4 lengths back. Completing the order of finish were Aunt Babe, Fight On Lucy and Indy’s Lady. Bluegrass Jamboree was scratched
After a half in 46.32 and six furlongs in 1:11.23, Cash Offer stopped the timer at 1:24.58 after seven sloppy furlongs. [VIDEO REPLAY]
Lezcano was impressed by the staying power of his mount. “Coming in,” Lezcano said, “I had my doubts if she wanted go that far, but the two fillies in front really helped by giving her a target to run at. I just tried to give her the best chance by sitting back and seeing how the race would unfold. At the quarter-pole, she really started to take off and she finished strong. I think she appreciated the off track as well.”
Earlier in the day, Mark Hennig contemplated scratching due to the sloppy conditions, but was pleased to have made the right call.
Said the trainer, “With the weather we were a little indecisive on whether to run, but it was a good time to take on Pauseforthecause as she hadn’t shown an affinity for the mud. I was on the fence this morning, but the more I looked at it, we decided to take a shot and it paid off.”
Hennig is also optimistic about Cash Offer’s chances going forward. “She is easy to train, and you don’t have to work her a whole lot. She goes out an gives an honest effort. She showed ability to rate, which helped today. Going forward, that will help a lot. We just felt like she’s a filly that didn’t want to go much over three-quarters last year. Now that she has learned the ability to rate, she looked like she could go a mile.”
Bred by Taylor Brothers Properties, LLC & To Kalon, Inc., Cash Offer is the first foal out Monono, a Kentucky-bred and Louisiana-based stakes winner by Whywhywho who earned over $200,000. Reddam Racing purchased Cash Offer for just $55,000 at the OBS Spring Sale the only time she was offered at public auction.
