Pachattack, winner of the Doubledogdare Stakes (gr. III) in her only start since finishing third in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I), heads the field for the Edward P. Evans All Along Stakes (gr. IIIT) June 16.
The $100,000 event is for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. It immediately precedes the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs. Post time for the All Along is 8:10 p.m. EDT. The race was renamed last summer for Edward "Ned" Evans, who owned Spring Hill Farm in Casanova, Va., and was one of Thoroughbred racing’s leading owners and breeders when he died 1½ years ago.
A field of 11 passed the entry box.
Pachattack, owned by Flaxman Holdings and trained by Graham Motion, defeated Kathmanblu by a neck in the Doubledogdare on Polytrack at Keeneland as the 7-10 favorite April 20. During her career, the 6-year-old Pulpit mare has been much more effective over synthetic tracks. Her turf record is 3-2-1 in 17 starts and her last grass victory came by a nose in a listed stakes at Newbury in August 2010.
Motion cross-entered Pachattack in the $150,000 Obeah Stakes (gr. III) on dirt at Delaware Park on the same day. Motion was undecied on which race she would run in.
Regular rider Rajiv Maragh has the call at Colonial. They would break from post 3 under 120 pounds.
Speak Easy Gal, second last time to grade I winner Zagora in the Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Pimlico Racecourse May 19, is another leading contender. Farnsworth Stables' 6-year-old West Acre mare has six wins and six placings in 18 tries on turf. She will be making her debut at Colonial for trainer Marty Wolfson. Luis Saez will ride.
Michel Jean Zerolo's Irish-bred La Pernelle won her United States debut over an allowance optional claiming field on the inner turf course at Belmont Park May 13 for trainer Chad Brown. The 4-year-old daughter of Beat Hollow was second by a head in a group III at Longchamp in April 2011. She was beaten by just 1 3/4 lengths when sixth in her subsequent start in the Montjeu Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-I).
Also in with a shot is 124-pound high weight Snow Top Mountain, winner of the Suwannee River (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 25. Since then, Barbara Hunter's 5-year-old Najran homebred has not fared as well. She finished seventh in the Hillsborough (gr. IIIT) at Tampa Bay Downs March 10. After a freshening, she was sixth in the Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs June 2. Paco Lopez will be aboard the multiple stakes winner.
Embarr, bred, owned, and trained by Susan Cooney, has won both of her starts over the local course, including the one-mile Brookmeade Stakes for Virginia-breds last July. The 4-year-old Royal Academy filly is coming off a 2 1/4-length triumph over open company in an optional claiming event at 1 1/16 miles on the Pimlico turf May 13.
Dr. Stephen and Debbie Jackson's homebred Clare Skies Ahead makes her stakes debut off back-to-back tallies on the Pimlico turf this spring.
$100,000 Edward P. Evans All Along Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 6, 8:10 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 1/8 Miles (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Shimmering Moment (KY), S Russell, 118, F Abbott III
2. Clare Skies Ahead (KY), H Karamanos, 118, F W Stites
3. Pachattack (KY), R Maragh, 120, H G Motion
4. Another Smokey (FL), A Delgado, 118, J Kielty
5. La Pernelle (IRE), R A Dominguez, 118, C C Brown
6. Embarr (VA), F Boyce, 118, S S Cooney
7. Speak Easy Gal (FL), L Saez, 118, M D Wolfson
8. Snow Top Mountain (KY), P Lopez, 124, T F Proctor
9. Prize Catch (KY), E Castro, 118, A J Penna Jr.
10. The Real Future (FL), G Garcia, 118, R Creel
11. Thundering Emilia (KY), J Pimentel, 122, M R Matz
Blinkers On: Prize Catch