Pachattack After Beverly D Redemption
Michael Deegan’s Pachattack, who dwelt at the start to lose all chance in last summer’s Grade I Beverly D. but still rallied to finish sixth, is a horse whose connections have a game plan to seek redemption this summer.
The first step on Pachattack’s road to the 2011 Beverly D. on Aug. 13 came May 28 in Chicago when the 5-year-old daughter of Pulpit captured the 75th anniversary edition of the Grade III Arlington Matron with a dominant six-length tally.
However, the 2011 Arlington Matron for fillies and mares was contested on Polytrack, while the Beverly D. for members of the distaff set is scheduled to be run over Arlington’s world famous turf course.
Nevertheless, Pachattack’s Irish-born British-based trainer Gerard Butler, who plans to be back and forth between Arlington and Newmarket all summer – with assorted side trips to Canada’s Woodbine – remains focused on a second attempt at the sister race to the Arlington Million.
“Actually, I think (Pachattack) might be five pounds better on Polytrack than she is on turf,” said Butler after Pachattack’s Matron win, “but she’s also very good on grass and the Beverly D. offers a very attractive $750,000 purse. We have to keep that in mind.
“The key to her race in the Matron was getting her into a rhythm,” Butler said. “I told the jockey (Florent Geroux, who replaced Junior Alvarado after that rider broke his collarbone Friday) to ride her the same way Junior did when he worked her the other day (seven furlongs over the Polytrack in 1:26.80 May 18). “I told Florent: ‘Don’t go any slower the first part of it than Junior did that day, but don’t go any faster, either.’ I thought Florent followed his instructions perfectly. I feel badly about what happened to Junior. I saw him this morning and he told me the first thing he thought about after he hit the ground was losing the mount on Pachattack in this race.”
The Grade III Modesty Handicap July 9 as a designed prep for the Beverly D. is a strong intermediate possibility for Pachattack prior to the main event, as is a race over the Polytrack at Woodbine in Canada.