 Flying three-year-old Dash for Cash continued his recent sensational
form when he hung on gamely for a photo finish win in the $402,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m)
at Caulfield today.The grey colt from the Rick
Hore-Lacy stable was sent out the second favourite behind the Lee Freedman trained Barkada
at $3.80 after three consecutive wins in Group class against his own age group.
Today the Secret Savings colt silence any knockers who
doubted his abilities and he also stamped himself a genuine spring carnival contender.
Already Hore-Lacy and connections are looking forward to a
race like the Cox Plate later this year and his trainer is not conerned about the extra
journey of that race.
"I think he will get further. We were even thinking
about running him in the 1800 metre race (the St George Stakes) today," Hore-Lacy
said after the win.
Hore-Lacy said the horse was perhaps the gutsiest performer
he had ever trained as well as one of the most genuine.
"He is just so consistent. Only once he was further
back than fifth in his life so far," he said. "That was an eighth in the
Caulfield Guineas when he was back and on the inside which wasn't the place to be that
day," Hore-Lacy added.
Future plans for the classy grey galloper may lead to a
Group One race in Sydney.
"We'd look at running him in the Doncaster (Handicap)
in Sydney if he does everything alright and pulls up fine."
"Otherwise the other option is the paddock (for a
spell)," the jubilant trainer added.
In the run to the line Dash for Cash was able to cling on
to beat the fast finishing locally trained Chattanooga by a mere short half head. Desert
Sky then nosed Aquiver out for the minor end of the prize.
But after a protest fired in by Brendan Fenech (Aquiver)
was upheld the third and fourth placings were reversed and the $51 chance was placed third
instead of fourth.
Barkada, the favourite, weakened over the final stages to
finish in fifth place with his trainer blaming the track for part of his undoing.
"He just didn't seem to handle the conditions today.
When he won the other day (in the Orr Stakes) the track was improving whereas today it was
on the way down," Freedman said.
PIC - Quentin
Lang. |
