Only about an hour after MCKINZIE saw son Baeza finish a good third in the Belmont S. (G1) for his third Grade 1 placing in as many tries, his daughter Cash Call topped off the day with a win in the Summertime Oaks (G3).
The filly was making her stakes debut, but that didn’t stop bettors from sending Cash Call off as the heavy favorite in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race. As is normal for Bob Baffert runners, she was close to the lead soon out of the gate and settled behind her stablemate three paths off the rail in third.
Jockey Juan Hernandez looked confident on his mount down the backstretch, letting her out a notch around the far turn. She confronted the leader late in that stage of the race with the pair dueling into the stretch.
Entering the final eighth, Cash Call took over the lead and comfortably kept about half a length on her rival throughout the run to win by three quarters of a length with the third-place runner four lengths behind the top two.
“At the barn they’ve always liked this filly,” said Hernandez. “I think she just wasn’t ready in her first couple of races. But now that’s she a little older, she’s getting better. I felt underneath me in her last couple races that she wanted to go long. Mr. Baffert tried it today and it worked out well. This filly was ready. She showed a lot of heart and talent today.”
Cash Call has won three of her five starts for CSLR Racing Partners with the three wins coming in her last three starts for $154,080 in earnings. The filly was a $600,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training purchase last year by Bill Childs from Eddie Woods.
Bred by Brent and Beth Harris, Cash Call is a half-sister to the dual stakes winner Strategic Dreams among the six winners from six to race out of D’Fashion. A winning mare, D’Fashion is a half-sister to champion Express Tour and stakes winner Kitty Cat Express.
Cash Call ended a successful two days for MCKINZIE, who also saw his Grade 1 winning daughter Scottish Lassie finish third – just a neck back from second – in the Acorn S. (G1). Another daughter, Hold Your Breath, also won an Allowance Optional Claiming race at Saratoga by 2 3/4 lengths on Friday.