Michael Deegan’s Pachattack,
one of two invaders for Saturday’s Grade I Beverly D. Stakes as the Arlington
Million’s sister race, cantered once around Arlington’s main track Wednesday
morning under exercise rider Andrew Morris.
On hand to observe his
4-year-old filly’s move was Michael Deegan, an Irishman who is engaged in the
construction business on the Emerald Isle but also has raced a number of stakes
quality horses over the last decade.
“This is what racing is all
about,” said Deegan. “I enjoy traveling around the world to see my horses
run. This is my first trip to Arlington,
and I’m very impressed. It is an absolutely beautiful facility. I’m
looking forward to the Beverly D. This is a very nice filly we have
brought for your race and we’re looking forward to having a crack at it.
However, it’s not going to be easy. It looks like there are a lot of good
fillies and mares in the race.”
Pachattack won her last start
at Great Britain’s Newbury
in the listed EBF Chalice Stakes on Aug. 1 and captured the listed EBF Hoppings
Stakes before that at Newcastle
June 24 under the tutelage of Gerard Butler.
Over most of the past decade,
Deegan raced Jack Sullivan as part of the International Carnival
Partnership.
“We ran Jack Sullivan at Belmont Park
in the (Grade I) Breeders’ Cup Classic, went to Japan to run him in the (Group I)
Japan Cup Dirt, and we also finished fourth in the (Grade I) Dubai World Cup
with him in 2005 when Roses in May won it.”
Also on the track Wednesday
morning in advance of Saturday’s Beverly D. was the locally-based Romacaca, who
races in the black and white silks of Arlington’s perennial leading owner Frank
Calabrese and is trained by Nick Canani The 4-year-old filly was
backed up to the quarter pole at about 6:50 a.m. and galloped a mile and
three-eighths.
Richard Duchossois’ Éclair de
Lune, runner-up in the Grade III Modesty Handicap on July 17 as the designed
prep for the Beverly D., galloped on the main track shortly before 8 a.m.
Wednesday under the supervision of Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally.