Cast a Coin (inside) fends off Notfanutin to win Monday’s Tin Cup Chalice Stakes at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.
Gold Bear Farm’s Cast a Coin improved from his only other try in stakes company and added another stakes winner to his sire’s resume with a victory in Monday’s $45,000 Tin Cup Chalice at Finger Lakes.
The 2-year-old Central Banker gelding rated off the pace, tipped off the rail and outfinished his foes between horses late to win the 6-furlong stakes by a neck over Notfanutin. Steven Fret rode Cast a Coin for trainer Jacqueline Falk.
Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC and Spruce Lane Farm, Cast a Coin sold for $27,000 at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale after originally bringing $15,000 as a weanling at the 2023 OBC winter mixed sale.
Cast a Coin, fifth in his other stakes try in the Aspirant Stakes over a sloppy track September 23 at Finger Lakes, became the latest stakes winner for Central Banker in the Tin Cup Chalice. Central Banker, a 14-year-old son of Speightstown, stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs. He started the day ranked second on the New York general sire list – which he’s topped the last three seasons – and less than $40,000 behind the leader Bucchero, who stood the 2024 season at McMahon before heading to stand at Ironhorse Stallions in Stillwater for 2025.
Coming off a 4-length tally in a 5 ½-furlong open-company maiden last time out on October 16 at Finger Lakes, Cast a Coin went to post for the Tin Cup Chalice as the 5-2 second choice behind Blamicker.
No Factor, the lone filly in the field of seven, took the early initiative up the backstretch and zipped through the opening quarter-mile in :22.68 ahead of the tracking Blamicker and Cast a Coin. Blamicker and jockey Andre Worrie made the first run at the leader around the far turn and took command approaching the half-mile split in :46.37.
Fret kept Cast a Coin inside until the field turned for home, then tipped out a few paths off the rail while Notfanutin made a move to his outside and Mr. Sugar Daddy made up ground to the inside. Cast a Coin hung tough in deep stretch and edged Notfanutin at the finish in 1:12.97 over the fast track. Mr. Sugar Daddy finished three-quarters of a length back in third with Blamicker, No Factor, Sobieski and One Morerep completing the field.
Cast a Coin picked up $27,000 for the win to boost his earnings to $55,717 from a record of 2-1-0 in four starts.
Cast a Coin is the fifth foal out of the Into Mischief mare Light the Dynamite, a homebred for Chester and Mary Broman picked up by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock, agent for $10,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.
Light the Dynamite is the dam of three winners – six-time winner and $133,250-earner Summer Sangria, Iron Horizon and Boom Boom Thunder, a 3-year-old full brother to Cast a Coin. She’s also the dam of Cast a Coin’s New York-bred yearling full sister Hawkeyejet and his Iowa-bred weanling full sister Gun Champion born April 15.
