BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Ernest C. Frohboese’s Chi Chi, a winner of two stakes earlier this year, will step onto the road to the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks Monday at Gulfstream Park as the Florida-bred filly is entered for the $150,000 Cash Run. The Cash Run has attracted a field of seven 3-year-old fillies who will go one mile on the main track and features a $20,000 Top 3 Florida-bred bonus, to be paid on a 50%-30%-20% basis, presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
The Cash Run is followed on the Gulfstream Park stakes calendar by the Grade 3 Forward Gal for 3-year-old fillies on Feb. 3, the Grade 2 Davona Dale for 3-year-old fillies on Mar. 2 and the Gulfstream Park Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on March 30. The Forward Gal, Davona Dale and Gulfstream Park Oaks all carry qualifying points for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks to be run at Churchill Downs on May 3.
Assigned 7-2 morning line odds for the Cash Run, Chi Chi looks to rebound off a second-place finish to fellow Florida-bred Let Them Watch in the $50,000 Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 2. That effort that snapped a two-race win streak Chi Chi had established in winning the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord at Remington Park on Sept. 24 and the $60,000 Juvenile Filly Sprint against Florida-bred fillies at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 11.
Those are the only two wins in five career starts for the Herman Wilensky trainee, who also has one second while earning $81,840. She is by Audible out of Simply Confection, by Candy Ride (Arg) and was bred in Florida by France Weiner.
Edwin Gonzalez will ride Chi Chi from post three.
Favored at 8-5 in the program is Queen’s Martini for trainer Danny Gargan and owners Dean and Patti Reeves’ Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.
The chestnut daughter of Florida-bred stallion Mucho Macho Man, who was also campaigned by the Reeves, won her only career start by five-and-a-three-quarters lengths against special weight maiden fillies at Saratoga on July 19.
Queen’s Martini has post seven and will be ridden by Luis Saez Jr.
Another OBS graduate in the Cash Run is Power Squeeze, a four-and-a-half-length winner of a maiden special weight for fillies at Delaware Park on Oct. 7 in her third and most recent start.
Power Squeeze is trained by Jorge Delgado for Lea Farms LLC, who purchased the chestnut daughter of Union Rags for $90,000 out of the Halcyon Hammock Farm consignment at this year’s OBS Spring Sale.
Irad Ortiz Jr. has the assignment on Power Squeeze and they are set to depart from post four.
Others entered for the Cash Run include De Regreso with jockey Jose Ortiz, Done Enough and rider Jorge Ruiz, D’lightful Summer will be ridden by Javier Castellano and Sweet Hazely with Paco Lopez up.
