fair grounds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Echo Zulu Returns in FG Oaks

Undefeated champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) makes her highly anticipated seasonal bow Saturday in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Flashing her talent with an impressive debut at Saratoga July 15, the $300,000 KEESEP acquisition had things her own way from start to finish in that venue's GI Spinway S. Sept. 5, winning by four lengths. She took no prisoners next out Belmont, romping by 7 1/4 lengths in the GI Frizette S. Oct. 3 and was equally dominant in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S. at Del Mar Nov. 5. Her flawless season left no doubt of her status, making her the clear winner of the Eclipse award for top juvenile filly. With this delay to her sophomore season, Echo Zulu needs a victory to secure a spot in the GI Kentucky Oaks.

“We are excited to get started with her,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “She is doing extremely well. She has put in some impressive moves over the race track and she just trains beautifully like she always has.”

He added, “She drew the rail so we have to get away from there cleanly and Joel will have a good ways to the first turn to get her in good position. She has handled everything extremely well that we have thrown at her up to this point. We are giving the Fair Grounds Oaks its fair due. I don't want to talk about the next one until she runs in the Oaks here but certainly we have high hopes this year for her.”

Turnerloose (Nyquist) enters off a win in the local GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 19 at odds of 17-1. Opening her account with a pair of wins on grass, including the Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs in September, the dark bay was third in Keeneland's GII Jessamine S. Oct. 13, but faded to 14th in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. Nov. 5. She was making her first start on dirt last out in the Rachel Alexandra.

Hidden Connection (Connect) graduated by 7 1/2 lengths on debut at Colonial Downs in August and ran off to a 9 1/4-length score in the GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Sept. 18. Fourth to Echo Zulu in the Breeders' Cup, she filled the same spot behind Turnerloose in the Rachel Alexandra.

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Epicenter Looks to Repeat in LA Derby

Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen teamed up back in 2016 to take the GII Louisiana Derby with future Horse of the Year Gun Runner and that team is back with a strong chance in this year's renewal with Epicenter (Not This Time). Graduating at second asking at Churchill Downs Nov. 13, the bay was an appropriate and dominant winner of the Gun Runner S. at this venue Dec. 26. Missing by a head to Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute) in the GIII Lecomte S. here Jan. 22, the $260,000 KEESEP buy wired the GII Risen Star S. over this strip last out Feb. 19.

“It was important for [Epicenter] to start at the mile then progress like he has through the longer distances and now we get to this race and the mile and three-sixteenth could be a separator,” said Asmussen. “He has progressed well through each of these steps and his progress has been very encouraging up to this point and he will just have to prove it again on Saturday.”

Call Me Midnight took several tries to break his maiden, finally breaking through at fifth asking at Churchill Downs Nov. 13 and was well beaten in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 27. He returned to winning ways with a late-running score in the Lecomte last out. Also exiting the Risen Star is fourth-place finisher Pioneer of Medine (Pioneerof the Nile).

The Brad Cox-trainer Zozos (Munnings) puts his unbeaten record on the line and steps up in class in this event. A debut winner sprinting at this oval Jan. 23, the dark bay earned the 'TDN Rising Star' tag with a 10 1/4-length tour de force when extended to two turns at Oaklawn Feb. 11.

Rattle N Roll (Connect) looks to rebound in this event after finishing a non-factor sixth in Gulfstream's GII Fountain of Youth S. in his seasonal bow Mar. 5. Earning his diploma at third asking at Churchill Sept. 23, he closed resolutely for a dominant victory in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. Oct. 9.

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Gary Stevens Talks Secret Oath, Jockeys Leaving California On Writers’ Room

Ever-popular retired Hall of Fame jockey and current television analyst for Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association Gary Stevens joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon for an expansive discussion on an array of racing topics and issues. Sitting down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Stevens gave a huge personal endorsement to star 3-year-old filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) as she prepares to take on males, analyzed the shuffling of the California jockey colony, talked about his role on the acclaimed Fox/NYRA broadcast and much more.

When it comes to Secret Oath, who's undefeated by 23 combined lengths in her last three starts and set to try the boys in the Apr. 2 GI Arkansas Derby, Stevens has a unique perspective. It was he who in 1988 piloted Winning Colors (Caro {Ire}) to only the third win by a filly in the GI Kentucky Derby. Like Secret Oath, Winning Colors was trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lukas, never afraid to try something unconventional with his horses.

“Wayne has never been afraid to jump outside the box, and I think in today's times, with a lot of negativity going on surrounding our industry, this is a feel-good story,” Stevens said. “And Wayne has always been about this sport. He's 100% the best ambassador that we've ever had. People have asked me, 'Is [Secret Oath] anything like Winning Colors?' I actually think from what I'm seeing in the mornings, she may be better than Winning Colors. She's got a different style, she loves to sit off the pace and be a stalker and accelerate. She's got brilliant acceleration for a dirt horse–almost like a turf horse. When she drops [her head] and puts in her kick, she gets it over with in a hurry. Now, granted, she's been running against fillies, but I think there's a lot more in the tank than what we've seen.”

Stevens was later asked about the recent news that Southern California's top two jockeys, Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli, would be moving their tack to New York this spring, and whether or not he was surprised.

“No, I wasn't at all,” he said. “I thought that this move would have come a couple of years ago, to be quite honest with you. We've all seen the success Flavien has had when he's traveled to the East Coast. He and Umberto are climbing into what I consider the toughest jockey colony, possibly in the world. But you've got to think about the future, and I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. We see the smaller field sizes in Southern California, and that's one reason I'm in Arkansas right now with Geovanni Franco and Tiago Pereira. They're very good riders who were sixth, seventh on the list of people's choices, and when [tracks] are running shorter fields and multiple trainers have multiple entries in these short fields, it doesn't leave a lot of crumbs for the rest.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, XBTV, Canterbury Park and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to a Franklin County judge denying Bob Baffert a stay of his suspension, celebrated the drastically improved breakdown record of California tracks, and Finley reads an extraordinary reply to his story on Jorge Navarro starting his prison sentence.. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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Clairiere Much The Best At Fair Grounds

7th-Fair Grounds, $56,000, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 3-16, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:43.21, ft, 6 1/2 lengths.

CLAIRIERE (f, 4, Curlin–Cavorting {MGISW, $2,063,000}, by Bernardini), fresh off a 2021 season that saw her victorious in both the GI Cotillion S. and the GII Rachel Alexandra S., got back in the winner's circle Wednesday to begin her 2022 campaign. Though a last out fourth by only three-quarters of a length to longshot Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, Clairiere posted a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure and seemed poised to come into the new year ready to roll. Bet down to the 1-9 favorite, she added lasix for the first time for trainer Steve Asmussen and got back at her preferred distance of 1 1/16-mile. She broke cleanly and rated back just off the rail behind the quick early pace of Super Quick (Super Saver). She was content in her position up the backstretch and advanced between horses entering the far turn when she swung outside of Audrey's Time (Uncle Mo) and Tizafeelin (Jimmy Creed). Though she switched back to her left lead and was slightly distracted down the stretch, Clairiere was unchallenged and crossed the wire 6 ½-lengths in front. Her dam, the MGISW Cavorting, had the full-brother to Clariere sell for $550,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and has also produced the stakes-winning filly La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro). She was bred back to leading sire Into Mischief for 2022. Lifetime Record: 11-4-3-2, GISW $1,324,592. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

B/O-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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