Different Paths Loom for Disarm, Echo Again

Having a pair of impressive 2-year-old winners at Saratoga Race Course is surely a joyous situation for the connections.

Yet it does create some logistical dilemmas.

Throughout the course of the 40-day meet, two of the most noteworthy juvenile winners were Winchell Thoroughbreds' Echo Again  and Disarm , two homebreds trained by Steve Asmussen.

While neither colt is expected to return next weekend in the closing day Hopeful Stakes (G1), David Fiske, the racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, said options are being weighed for the two sons of Gun Runner  , aimed at keeping them on different courses until a potential meeting in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

"There's a fork in the road and one will go one way, the other to another race," Fiske said. "Hopefully they meet in the Breeders Cup."

Among the possible choices for the next starts are the Oct. 1 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack, the Sept. 17 Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, and the Oct. 8 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, site of the Nov. 4 Juvenile.

"Once Echo Again bounces back 100% we'll get together and map out plans," Fiske said.

Disarm, out of the Tapit   mare Easy Tap, posted a 6 1/4-length victory Aug. 6 after finishing third June 19 behind Mo Strike  (Uncle Mo  ), who went on to win the Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga and is among the probables for the Sept. 5 Hopeful at the Spa.

Echo Again, out of the Tapit mare Teardrop, created even more of a buzz when he romped home first by 6 3/4 lengths in his Aug. 20 debut, covering the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.89. A week earlier, Damon's Mound  (Girvin  ) won the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) in 1:17.94.

"We were on a lot of speed dials after that race. We got about 10 calls after Echo Again's race but we have nothing pending with any of the horses," Fiske said. "We thought Echo Again could be good, he had been working with Disarm and he was the talk of the town when he broke his maiden earlier in the meet, but you never know until they race. He surprised all of us. We liked him, but when you look at what he did, looking at raw times, and I know you can't do that and that's why they have speed figures, but he would have won the Saratoga Special by 10 lengths."