Champion Echo Zulu Tops 103 Kentucky Oaks Nominations
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Photo: Skip Dickstein/Tim Lanahan
Echo Zulu wins the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar
Led by 2021 champion 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu , 103 3-year-old fillies have been nominated to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs May 6.
Echo Zulu, owned by L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, began breezing this month at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots toward a return spot that has yet to be announced. The undefeated Gun Runner filly sports victories in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Frizette Stakes (G1), and Spinaway Stakes (G1). She also is nominated to the Triple Crown.
Other contenders that were nominated to the Oaks include stakes winners Ain't Easy , Dream Lith , Hidden Connection , Juju's Map , Nest , Secret Oath , Shahama , and Turnerloose .
Absent from the nominations are fillies trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Baffert has been suspended from competition at Churchill Downs Inc.-owned tracks through the middle of 2023 for medication violations.
Baffert conditions three of the top 3-year-old fillies in the country in Adare Manor , Eda , and Under the Stars .
The early nomination period for the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks closed Feb. 19 with a $200 payment.
Fillies not nominated during the early stage can pay a $1,500 late fee to become eligible through April 16. After April 16, a supplementary nomination fee of $25,000 can be made at the time of entry.
A complete list of nominations is available online.