October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Echo Zulu Brilliant Again in Frizette

There have been other impressive performances turned in by 2-year-old fillies in recent weeks (namely Hidden Connection {Connect} in the GIII Pocahontas S. and Ain't Easy {Into Mischief} in the GII FrontRunner S.), but 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) reaffirmed her spot at the top of the division Sunday as she blew away her competition in Belmont's GI Frizette S., a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

The L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer was a 5 1/2-length debut winner over a field that included subsequent two-time Florida-bred stakes dominator Outfoxed (Valiant Minister) on opening day at Saratoga July 15–good for a very strong 92 Beyer Speed Figure. She made similarly short work of the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga Sept. 5, contributing to a highly memorable meet for her connections that got even better when Gunite closed things out with a win in the GI Champagne S. to complete an unprecedented double for freshman sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Backed at 35 cents on the dollar to carry her brilliance over an additional furlong Sunday, Echo Zulu wasted no time taking command as Brown/Klaravich representative Gerrymander (Into Mischief) applied some pressure through splits of :22.94 and :46.37 (according to Trakus). There was a brief moment midway around the turn when Echo Zulu looked like she might let her competition into the race, but as soon as her nose pointed for home, she slammed the door. Ricardo Santana, Jr. hit the gas, and she poured it on at will, running the score up to 7 1/4 lengths from the staying-on Gerrymander. Maiden A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo) came out on top of a blanket finish for third.

“It's amazing. She's a special filly and she's by Gun Runner. How much better can it get? She's better than good,” said all-time winningest trainer Steve Asmussen. “She's a Spinaway and a Frizette winner. That's elite company. I'm proud of her. Good energy though the wire. She didn't stagger in there and she set honest fractions.”

The Hall of Fame trainer had won the Frizette three times previously, perhaps most notably in 2011 with the similarly brilliant My Miss Aurelia (Smart Strike), who subsequently ran to favoritism at the Breeders' Cup to lock up an Eclipse Award.

“The filly obviously has a tremendous amount of ability and I think the big jump is to get to this level,” said Asmussen when asked about the upcoming two-turn test at Del Mar. “The Spinaway and the Frizette –that sort of foundation and doing it multiple times gives you a tremendous amount of confidence. My worry was the Spinaway off one 5 1/2-furlong race with the [lack of] seasoning. The Spinaway and Frizette have eased all those tensions, now it's just up to how fast everybody is.”

Santana added, “She's special. She broke her maiden and we never expected she was ready first time out in Saratoga. How she did it [shows] she has some ability and she proved it today… She broke good and was waiting for the company. When the company got to her, she took off again. She's really special.”

Sunday, Belmont Park
FRIZETTE S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont, 10-3, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:35.12, ft.
1–ECHO ZULU, 120, f, 2, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Letgomyecho (GSW, $136,200), by Menifee
2nd Dam: Echo Echo Echo, by Eastern Echo
3rd Dam: Kashie West, by Sir Ivor
'TDN Rising Star' ($300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-L and N Racing
LLC & Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Betz/J. Betz/Burns/
CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
3-3-0-0, $440,000. *1/2 to Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's
Song), GSP, $253,478; J Boys Echo (Mineshaft), GSW,
$377,543; and Echo Town (Speightstown), GISW, $410,020.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gerrymander, 120, f, 2, Into Mischief–Ruby Lips (GSP), by
Hard Spun. ($375,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables,
Inc.; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC & Pollock Farms (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown. $80,000.
3–A Mo Reay, 120, f, 2, Uncle Mo–Margaret Reay (GSP,
$133,455), by Pioneerof the Nile. ($400,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-My Racehorse Stable & Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-T & G Farm
of Kentucky LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $48,000.
Margins: 7 1/4, 3, NK. Odds: 0.35, 10.60, 6.50.
Also Ran: Magic Circle, Saucy Lady T, Jester Calls Nojoy, Hot Fudge, Jumeirah, Frosty Brew. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Gun Runner has been represented by four graded stakes winners already in his first crop, including the aforementioned Gunite, who was fifth in Saturday's GI Champagne S.; fellow Winchell/Asmussen filly Wicked Halo, who took Saratoga's GII Adirondack S. in August; and GII Best Pal S. hero Pappacap, second in Friday's GI American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita on the stretch out. Tony Holmes and Winchell's Concept (Gun Runner) broke his maiden in Remington's Kip Deville S. Sept. 26 while earning a 92 Beyer.

Gun Runner's yearlings were, unsurprisingly, highly coveted at Keeneland September, with a top-priced colt bringing $975,000 and six youngsters selling for $625,000 or more. The Three Chimneys resident's 40 sellers at KEESEP grossed $13,037,000 at an average of $325,925 and median of $280,000.

Echo Zulu's dam was talented herself, winning by 5 1/2 lengths in her Calder debut as a newly turned 3-year-old and streaking to three-for-three in the 2005 GII Forward Gal S. L and N Racing and Asmussen campaigned Letgomyecho's son Echo Town, who took last term's GI H. Allen Jerkens S. and completed his first season at Coolmore's Ashford Stud this year. Echo Zulu's yearling half-sister was also extremely popular at Keeneland September–she topped the first session of the sale on a $1.4-million bid made on behalf of Joe Allen. Ron Winchell bought the second topper that day. Click here for more.

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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf A Consideration For Consumer Spending

Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Consumer Spending will be under consideration for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf following her impressive victory in the $150,000 Selima Saturday at Laurel Park.

Trainer Chad Brown said Sunday that the 2-year-old More Than Ready filly was doing well following her second consecutive victory and first in a stakes. Out of the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia, she made her first two starts this summer over the grass at Saratoga.

It was the second straight Selima win for Brown following Fluffy Socks at historic Pimlico Race Course. Fluffy Socks won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante later last fall and was most recently third in the Aug. 21 G1 Del Mar Oaks.

“She's certainly a horse with a bright future. She's run really well in all three of her starts to date,” Brown said. “We'll see what we do from here. The Juvenile Fillies Turf has to be considered at this point, given the way she won yesterday. We'll see how she's training this month.”

The one-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf will be run Nov. 5 at Del Mar. Brown has won five of the 12 editions of the race with Maram (2009), Lady Eli (2014), New Money Honey (2016), Rushing Fall (2017) and Newspaperofrecord (2018). Lady Eli in 2017 and Rushing Fall in 2020 would later be named female turf champions.

In 2019, Sharing won the Selima off a maiden victory and went on to upset the Juvenile Fillies Turf at odds of nearly 14-1 for trainer Graham Motion.

Consumer Spending, favored at 2-5 in the Selima, trailed all but one of her seven rivals through a half-mile and was still in need of room on the far turn before she was able to split horses and sprint clear in open ground, pulling away from the field even while jockey Victor Carrasco had her wrapped up nearing the wire.

“She ran well. On the turn there it didn't look like she was doing much running at one point and I was concerned, but then she grabbed the bit again and finished strong,” Brown said. “All in all, it was an impressive performance.”

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Annapolis Remains Perfect With G2 Pilgrim Victory

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis outdueled Portfolio Company in a stirring stretch drive to capture Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles for juveniles over the firm inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis entered out of a stylish debut win on closing weekend at Saratoga Race Course, where he rallied from off-the-pace under returning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking from post two in a compact field of four, Annapolis sat second behind pacesetter Portfolio Company, who marked off splits of 24.34 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.96 to the half-mile under Joel Rosario. At the half-mile pole, Ortiz, Jr. began to inch Annapolis closer to the leader and the two colts met up at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:14.46.

The front-running duo gained separation from their two competitors – Limited Liability [Jose Ortiz] and Doctor Jeff [Jose Lezcano] – and battled gamely to the wire. Annapolis needed every inch of ground to get by a stubborn Portfolio Company, putting his head on the wire in a final time of 1:41.04.

“With only four horses, there wasn't much speed in the race,” Ortiz, Jr. said, “I just broke well and tried to be close to the pace. I ended up second to the horse I had to try and beat, so I just went from there. He fought the whole way to the wire. The way he did it last time he looked like a nice horse, so we expected him to move forward and he did.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant, said he was pleased with how the race unfolded.

“He broke well and Irad had him in a great spot on the outside,” Hughes said. “It was a good duel down the stretch and he was able to get a head down at the wire.”

Rosario won five races on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs, including Grade 3 scores with Knicks Go in the Lukas Classic and aboard Plainsman in the Ack Ack, both for trainer Brad Cox.

The veteran rider said he had no complaints about his trip aboard maiden-winner Portfolio Company, who was exiting a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 1 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

“He responded well. The other horse [Annapolis] came to me a little bit early and then I had to just keep moving inside. It was a very good race in the end,” Rosario said. “When he came to me, I had to hold my position. Turning for home, [Annapolis] moved a little early which engaged me to move forward a little more than I wanted to. You just have to ride them the way the race is playing.”Annapolis returned $3.30 to win off a $2 wager and increased his lifetime earnings to $165,000.

Limited Liability was third, 3 1/4-lengths ahead of Doctor Jeff. Midnight Worker and City At Night were scratched.

A Kentucky homebred, Annapolis is by War Front and out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who was also conditioned by Pletcher.

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Gufo Records Final Breeze For G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo recorded his final piece of serious preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park, breezing a half-mile in 48.80 Sunday over the Belmont inner turf.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Declaration of War seeks to keep an unbeaten record at 12 furlongs intact following victories in the Grand Couturier on July 5 at Belmont before winning the G1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer eight weeks later at Saratoga.

“He worked very well this morning,” Clement said. “It was a strong work and he finished up very nicely, so I'm excited for next week.”

Clement will seek a second Joe Hirsch Turf Classic win, previously saddling Winchester to victory in 2010. Multiple champion Gio Ponti was second in the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for Clement.

Also appearing on Sunday's work tab for Clement was dual graded stakes winner Mutamakina who completed a half-mile move in 49.20 seconds over the inner turf. Al Shiraa'aa Farm's daughter of Nathaniel captured the G2 Dance Smartly on Aug. 22 at Woodbine last out and will return to the Toronto oval for the G1 E.P. Taylor on Oct. 17.

Scheduled to accompany Mutamakina for the journey up north is stable mate La Dragontea, a winner of the G2 Canadian on Sept. 18 at Woodbine who also will target the E.P. Taylor.

Clement said he plans on saddling multiple contenders next weekend for the G3, $150,000 Matron, a six-furlong turf event for juvenile fillies. Possible contenders for the Clement barn include stakes-winner Derrynane, who captured the Woodbine Cares on Sept. 19, as well as maiden winners The Club and Gal In a Rush.

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