Pachattack

Pachattack ran a nice race to finish third behind Kings Destiny and Safari Sunup in a good Class 2 10-furlong handicap at Lingfield on Friday. Settled back in eighth, of the nine runners in the early stages, it wasn’t ideal for the Gerard Butler-trained filly that Philip Robinson was allowed set a sedate pace up front. Robinson quickened the pace from the front going across the top of the track, and suddenly all of his rivals came under pressure, with the exception of Pachattack. She and the leader were the only two who were not being scrubbed up going around the home turn. Kings Destiny showed a nice turn of foot to go clear at the top of the home straight, effectively ending the race as a contest, but Pachattack picked up nicely once she got in the clear, passing Island Sunset and Desert Creek and just losing out to Safari Sunup, who finished well on the outside, probably on the faster part of the track, for the runner-up spot. It was noticeable that Richard Hughes was not unduly hard on Pachattack once her winning chance had gone, he just rode her with hands and heels, with one smack a furlong out.

The daughter of Pulpit has only won one of the 12 races that she has contested, but she has run well on a number of occasions in defeat, most notably when she was beaten a short head by Enticement in a listed race at Newmarket last October, and when she was a close-up fourth behind Les Fazzani in another listed race at Kempton in November. She shaped with some promise behind Sri Putra back at Newmarket on her debut this season, and she built on that here. She is at her best over a fast-run 10 furlongs, when she can be held up, she goes well in blinkers, and there is a good race in her off her current handicap mark of 101.

30th April 2010