Echo Zulu Crowned Champion 2-Year-Old Filly

HED: Echo Zulu Undoubtedly Champion 2-Year-Old Filly

L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' Echo Zulu  ran away with the juvenile filly division in 2021 by going undefeated in four starts—three at the grade 1 level. The accomplishments led the talented daughter of Gun Runner   to earn the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old filly.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Echo Zulu is from the first crop of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, another Asmussen trainee who was campaigned by Winchell and Three Chimneys Farm. She helped lift her sire to the top of the freshman sire rankings for 2021.

Echo Zulu's championship season culminated with a front-running, 5 1/4-length victory in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in November at Del Mar, the same track where Gun Runner won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

"She means so much to us and the fact that she is from the first crop of Gun Runner, everything that he did for us, it's surreal that we're back here at Del Mar for the second Breeders' Cup when his crowning moment was the Breeders' Cup here in 2017," Asmussen said after the Juvenile Fillies. "She's just done everything right from the first time we got her. And for her to win in such an authoritative fashion in such an excellent time (1:42.24 for 1 1/16 miles) stands for a true champion."

"It's incredible," Ron Winchell added. "It's something you always dream about when you have a horse like Gun Runner, and a first crop getting going with what will be a champion 2-year-old filly. For us to actually own the filly, after what we did with Gun Runner, like Steve was saying, it just makes it that much more special."

Echo Zulu was bred in Kentucky by Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby. She is out of the grade 2-winning Menifee mare Letgomyecho , making her a half sister to 2020 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhapy (G1) victor Echo Town  , 2017 Gotham Stakes (G3) winner J Boys Echo , 2015 Iroquois Stakes (G3) runner-up Unbridled Outlaw , and Dragic , who was multiple stakes-placed in 2018.

Winchell purchased Echo Zulu for $300,000 from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment to the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly currently has earnings of $1,480,000 following her juvenile season.

Echo Zulu romped on debut in July at Saratoga Race Course, drawing off to win by 5 1/2 lengths when racing 5 1/2 furlongs. She returned at the Spa in September to capture the seven-furlong Spinaway Stakes (G1) by four lengths, then contested the one-mile Frizette Stakes (G1) in October at Belmont Park and won by an impressive 7 1/4 lengths. She certainly didn't disappoint when she capped off her campaign for the year with a Breeders' Cup victory.