Unbeaten Echo Zulu Tackles a Mile in Frizette

The arrival of fall brings with it a change in the scope of 2-year-old racing.

For the quickest and most talented members of the juvenile divisions, the challenge shifts from sprinting to handling longer races and navigating a two-turn distance.

In just two races, Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu  has surely displayed an abundance of speed and a bright future, which will be put to a tougher test Oct. 3.

Though her first trip around two turns will have to wait until the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar, the grade 1-winning Echo Zulu will stretch out to a mile distance Sunday while facing eight rivals in the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

A daughter of red-hot freshman sire Gun Runner   trained by Steve Asmussen, Echo Zulu will be asked to travel an extra furlong Sunday. Based on the way she set the pace and then pulled away in the stretch to win the seven-furlong Sept. 5 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course by four lengths in a fast 1:22.51 on a good track, that may not be a major issue in Sunday's Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" stakes that will award a fees-paid spot in the Juvenile Fillies.

"She's very fast and we'll see how far she can carry that speed," said David Fiske, racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds. "All of them have limitations somewhere, but our expectations are that the Gun Runners will get better as they go farther, and I hope we are right about that. We're hoping she turns out to be something special. There's always hope."

Gun Runner certainly has the pedigree to produce winners at two turns given that he won the 1 1/4-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in his career and compiled career earnings of $15.9 million while being named 2017 Horse of the Year. The early returns from his first crop have been dazzling with 13 winners, four graded stakes winners—two of them at the grade 1 level—and earnings of $1,494,931.

"It's a little surprising. I don't think anyone expected results like that at this point," Fiske said.

As for why Asmussen opted to keep Echo Zulu in New York for a one-turn test instead of shipping to Kentucky for the two turns of the Oct. 8 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, Fiske said timing played a key role.

"There were some timing considerations. Obviously the goal is to get her to the Breeders' Cup and I think Steve wanted to give her a little more time between races," Fiske said.

Bred by the conglomerate of Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby, the daughter of the Menifee mare Letgomyecho  was bought for $300,000 by Winchell Thoroughbreds from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Also among the field of nine is Magic Cap Stables' Frosty Brew , a Sept. 9 debut winner at Laurel Park. Trainer Shug McGaughey had hoped Echo Zulu would run in the Alcibiades and there would be a smaller field for the Frizette, but he's hopeful that she can take a step forward on a major stage.

"I thought her first race was pretty good," McGaughey said, "and when I made up my mind to run I was thinking Steve's horse was going to go to Keeneland and it would come up a short field here, but she worked well for this race and we'll get her up here and see how it goes."

Though he's rooting for Frosty Brew to win the Frizette, McGaughey has a bit of a vested interest in seeing Echo Zulu turn in a big effort since in time he will be training her half sister for another owner, Joe Allen. Northshore Bloodstock, agent, bought the American Pharaoh-Letgomyecho filly named Doing Justice for $1.4 million on behalf of Allen from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the recent Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

"If I can't win it, since I have the half sister, I wouldn't mind seeing Echo Zulu win," McGaughey said.

Born in 2002, Letgomyecho has produced nine winners from 13 foals, including grade 3 winner J Boys Echo  (Mineshaft  ) and grade 3-placed Unbridled Outlaw  (Unbridled's Song).

Trainer Todd Pletcher has entered a pair of fillies in The Elkstone Group's Jester Calls Nojoy  and MyRacehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's maiden, A Mo Reay .

Jester Calls Nojoy, a Maclean's Music   filly named after a character in the movie "Top Gun," ran like a jet was attached to her saddle in her second maiden start to win by 10 lengths on the Spinaway card. Her time was :1.02 slower than Echo Zulu with seven furlongs completed in 1:23.53.

"The surprise is that she didn't win her debut," said Pletcher when asked if the lopsided win caught him off-guard, "because she trained so well. In her first start, she ran against a filly with a few starts under her belt and she got a little tired in the last part (finishing second) but she did what we thought she would do in her second start and we hope she can stretch out."

A Mo Reay, a daughter of Uncle Mo  , was third in her Aug. 29 debut at Saratoga, rallying from 11 lengths back to finish a half-length behind at six furlongs to Klaravich Stables' Frizette starter Gerrymander .

"I thought she ran a winning-type race in her debut," Pletcher said. "She just didn't get quite there and we believe the mile will suit her."

Entries: Frizette S. (G1)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 03, 2021, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Frosty Brew (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	Claude R. McGaughey III	30/1
2	2A Mo Reay (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
3	3Saucy Lady T (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	James K. Chapman	20/1
4	4Hot Fudge (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Linda Rice	12/1
5	5Jumeirah (KY)	Junior Alvarado	120	Carlos A. David	15/1
6	6Echo Zulu (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	3/5
7	7Jester Calls Nojoy (MD)	Luis Saez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
8	8Gerrymander (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Chad C. Brown	8/1
9	9Magic Circle (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Rudy R. Rodriguez	20/1