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.

With the Angels overcomes adversity to keep unbeaten record intact Sunday in the Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

By Alec DiConza

With the Angels did not appear to be a lock to win Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct despite her 1-5 odds as the eight-horse field turned for home.

After breaking from post one and not showing quite enough early speed to get to the front, the 2-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach sat behind horses for the first time in her career and had to negotiate her way through traffic rounding the far turn under Jose Ortiz. Nevertheless, With the Angels once again proved to be too much for her competition and won the 6-furlong stakes event for 2-year-old New York-bred fillies by 2 lengths, improving her unbeaten record to 4-for-4 for trainer Linda Rice.

The change in tactics wasn’t a surprise for Rice, who knew the race featured a lot of horses with early speed.

“I told Jose the one-hole kind of wasn’t ideal, and I anticipated a lot of speed in this race and that it was probable we’d want to take the opportunity to sit off of it and see how she handled that,” Rice said.

What did present a cause for concern was how With the Angels could not get clear running room coming around the far turn and found herself sitting fifth with less than three-eighths of a mile to go. Any anxiety about her chances was quickly washed away when the filly owned by Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Lady Sheila Stable, Rideau Racers and Sanford Robbins unleashed a powerful late kick to mow down the frontrunners and win with what appeared to be plenty left in the tank. She finished the 6 furlongs in 1:10.56.

“It looked like the five horse was backing up into her and this and that, and she worked her way around it,” Rice said of her filly’s trip. “She was a little wide coming down the stretch, but I was happy to see her run (them) down. It really helps us going forward next year, and we know she’ll do that (rate). It’s a great way to cap off her 2-year-old season, so we’ll send her home and give her a couple months off.”

The Key Cents victory was the third straight stakes win for With the Angels, who already boasted a strong 2024 resumé with triumphs in the Joseph A. Gimma and Maid of the Mist.

Ortiz, who has ridden With the Angels in each of her starts, credited the filly’s connections for managing her well and getting her ready for a 3-year-old campaign in 2025.

“She is a nice filly,” Ortiz said. “Linda and the owners have done an amazing job managing her and picking the right spots. They are developing a nice filly so hopefully next year she keeps getting better.”

With the Angels has now earned $283,250 in her career.

Bred by Joseph DeRico and foaled at River Valley Farm in Gansevoort, With the Angels is out of the three-time winning Pulpit mare Sister Margaret. She’s the dam of three other foals to race, including stakes-placed filly Maggy’s Palace. With the Angels sold for $350,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.

Neural Network, winner of the 2023 Gander Stakes at Aqueduct, sold for $65,000 at the Keeneland horse of racing age sale. Photo courtesy of ELiTE.

Stakes winner Neural Network landed a bid of $65,000 to finish as the most expensive New York-bred at the Keeneland November horses of racing age sale Thursday in Lexington.

Sok Racing/Michael Kares purchased Hip 4185, Neural Network, a 4-year-old son of Cloud Computing, out of the ELiTE consignment. Bred by and foaled at Milfer Farm Inc. in Unadilla, Neural Network is out of the winning Street Cry mare Lapinski.

A $120,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, Neural Network went 2-1-1 in seven starts with $136,204 for owner Klaravich Stable and trainer Chad Brown.

Neural Network started his career with two wins in three starts – a debut win in mid-November 2022 at Aqueduct and a victory in the Gander Stakes in late February 2023 at Aqueduct. He also placed in the 2023 Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct.

Keeneland reported sales on all five of the New York-breds through the ring Thursday for a total of $146,000, an average price of $29,200 and median of $19,000.

ELiTE, agent, also sold the second most expensive New York-bred, Hip 4100, the 3-year-old maiden Good Magic filly Dance On Air that went to Ken Kachel for $37,000.

Bred by Erin Corners Bloodstock and out of the Arch mare Valentines Romance, Dance On Air placed twice in five starts for owners William Lawrence and Richard Schermerhorn and trainer Chad Brown. She originally sold for $200,000 to Meridian Partners at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Francis Paolangeli’s homebred Idyll Gossip edges April Storm to win Monday’s Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Francis Paolangeli’s homebred Idyll Gossip bounced back from a rough trip against males last time and got up in the final strides to lock up another stakes victory for Central Banker in Monday’s $45,000 Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes.

The 2-year-old filly by the McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ resident stallion edged longtime leader April Storm three strides from home in the 6-furlong open-company stakes that featured a field of seven New York-breds. Kevin Navarro rode Idyll Gossip for trainer Paul Barrow, who picked up his second straight Shesastonecoldfox after winning with Sweet Brown Sugar in 2023.

Idyll Gossip also became the 18th stakes winner – and seventh of 2024 – for Central Banker. She picked up $27,000 toward Central Banker’s progeny earnings haul for the season, which sat $4,634,443 heading into Monday and just a little more than $33,000 behind leader Bucchero.

Central Banker, a 14-year-old son of Speightstown, stands for $7,500 at McMahon in Saratoga Springs while Bucchero will stand for $10,000 at Ironhorse Stallions in Stillwater after standing the 2024 season at McMahon.

Sixth in the New York Breeders’ Futurity October 21 at Finger Lakes after trouble at the start, Idyll Gossip went to the post Monday as the 6-5 favorite. She and Navarro lagged toward the back of the field early, racing fifth as longshot Bald Kitten led April Storm by a half-length through the opening quarter-mile in :22.77 over the muddy track.

April Storm shrugged off the leader around the far turn as Brooklyn Rhapsody ranged up on the outside at the half-mile split in :46.35. April Storm, a daughter of New York-based freshman sire King for a Day coming off a debut win April 28, went on from there and opened up to a 3 1/2-length lead in midstretch past 5 furlongs in :59.29.

Navarro stayed busy on Idyll Gossip running several paths off the inside in the lane. Idyll Gossip edged past 5-2 second choice April Storm at the finish. Honorable Becky, the 6-1 fourth choice coming off a debut win September 24 at Finger Lakes, finished 2 1/4 lengths back in third. Brooklyn Rhapsody, Bald Kitten, Queen Atlas and Who’s Got the Tip completed the field. Idyll Gossip won in 1:12.92.

Idyll Gossip is the first foal out of Paolangeli’s multiple stakes-placed Spring At Last mare Cozzy Spring, a four-time winner who earned $243,640 in 11 starts on the NYRA circuit. She’s out of the stakes-winning New York-bred Broken Vow mare Pretty Cozzy, who won eight of 36 starts and earned $218,760. Paolangeli claimed Pretty Cozzy out of a win in early February 2012 at Aqueduct. She made eight starts for Paolangeli, winning the 2012 Susan B. Anthony Handicap at Finger Lakes and placing three times including a third in the 2012 Arctic Queen Handicap at Finger Lakes.

Cozzy Spring, third in the 2017 Iroquois Stakes at Belmont Park and second in the 2018 Dancin Renee Stakes at Belmont, did not produce a foal in 2023 and is the dam of a weanling Charlatan filly named Cozzy Trickstress bred by Paolangeli born in New York April 29.