Echo Zulu Ready to Make Noise in Spinaway
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Echo Zulu scores at first asking at Saratoga Race Course
Last year, Vequist parlayed a summer victory in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and a fall win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland to become champion 2-year-old filly.
The nine 2-year-old fillies in the $300,000, seven-furlong Spinaway Sept. 5, led by Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu , have a long way to go to match such honors. Regardless, their promise allows horsemen and fans to imagine what could be.
Likely to start as the favorite is Echo Zulu. The Steve Asmussen trainee rolled by 5 1/2 lengths in a fast 5 1/2-furlong race July 15 when debuting at Saratoga.
"The idea was always that she could be a Saratoga 2-year-old," said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing manager David Fiske. "She showed some early speed, but for her to win the way she did and to get the number she got, I don't think anyone was expecting that."
Echo Zulu, a $300,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment, is out of the graded stakes-winning Menifee mare Letgomyecho . A daughter of Gun Runner , she is a half sister to L and N Racing's Echo Town , victor in last year's H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) at seven furlongs.
"She came out of Steve's parents' operation in Laredo pretty highly touted," Fiske said of Echo Zulu. "We have some pretty big expectations for her."
Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. rides from post 3.
Also visiting the Saratoga winner's circle on July 15, opening day, was Pretty Birdie , who captured the Schuylerville Stakes (G3). That followed a maiden triumph at Churchill Downs for the Marylou Whitney Stables-owned daughter of Bird Song .
Jockey Luis Saez will return aboard Pretty Birdie from post 5.
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Seven fillies are first-out maiden winners —including Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's Dream Lith . The Medaglia d'Oro filly broke her maiden by two lengths at Saratoga Aug. 8 in a six-furlong race at 36-1 odds for trainer Robertino Diodoro.
"We're really excited about her," Diodoro said. "She wasn't supposed to do what she did that day. Not because of ability—we knew she had that. We thought it would take two turns for her to break her maiden.
"I think even the extra furlong going into the Spinaway is going to help her even more. She's awesome. Sometimes, you see a maiden win first out. Maybe she was more ready than the other horses, but this filly is the real deal."
Jockey David Cohen is up from post 7.
Other entrants include the Ellis Park maiden winners Tarabi and Girl With a Dream and two more that scored at Saratoga—Benbang and Sue Ellen Mishkin . Saucy Lady T has been third in graded stakes twice, and Sequist broke her maiden at Colonial Downs.
Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, September 05, 2021, Race 11Entries: Spinaway S. (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Tarabi (KY)
Javier Castellano
120
Cherie DeVaux
8/1
2
2Girl With a Dream (KY)
Florent Geroux
120
Brad H. Cox
6/1
3
3Echo Zulu (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
8/5
4
4Benbang (KY)
Manuel Franco
120
Jonathan Thomas
20/1
5
5Pretty Birdie (KY)
Luis Saez
122
Norm W. Casse
3/1
6
6Saucy Lady T (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
James K. Chapman
20/1
7
7Dream Lith (KY)
David Cohen
120
Robertino Diodoro
6/1
8
8Sequist (KY)
Junior Alvarado
120
Dallas Stewart
12/1
9
9Sue Ellen Mishkin (NY)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Jorge R. Abreu
12/1
