Cattlewash blazes in 1:47.1

East Rutherford, N.J. — Cattlewash won Saturday’s $250,000 Graduate Series final for 4-year-old pacers in 1:47.1, equaling this season’s fastest mile, over a sloppy track at the Meadowlands.

Poseidon Seelster finished second and Tattoo Artist, the leader for much of the mile, was third.
Tattoo Artist, starting from post seven, went straight to the front, with Poseidon Seelster settling in second from post six and Cattlewash dropping in third from post eight. Tattoo Artist led to the quarter in :25.3, half in :53.3, and three-quarters in 1:20.1.

Captain Barbossa made a first-over move on the backstretch but got no closer than third. Favorite Ruthless Hanover went off stride prior to the half-mile point.

Poseidon Seelster and Cattlewash both came after Tattoo Artist in the stretch, and Cattlewash won the battle by a head thanks to a :26.2 last quarter.

CATTLEWASH REPLAY

“I was going to take a shot, and hopefully it worked out, whether I had cover or not,” winning driver David Miller said about the start of the race. “There was a great big three hole, so I took it, and it worked out.

“Last year, I thought he raced best on the lead, but this year so far they’ve been going so much that I’ve had to sit him in a hole. I thought he raced tremendous tonight.”
Miller guided Cattlewash, a son of Somebeachsomewhere out of Road Bet, to the win for trainer Ron Burke and breeder-owner Bill Donovan. It was Cattlewash’s first win this season in four starts.

The stallion has won 11 of 34 in his career, with earnings of $973,527.

“He’s just an all-around great horse,” Miller said. “He can race any way you want him to. He’s just a good solid horse.” Cattlewash, sent off at 7-1, paid $16.20 to win.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA