Gun Runner | Horse Racing Free Tips

Echo Zulu Narrowly Stays Unbeaten in Fair Grounds Oaks

With the GI Kentucky Oaks fast approaching, the racing world has been anxiously awaiting the return of 2021's leading lady, undefeated champion juvenile filly Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). Hammered down to 1-9 favoritism in what appeared to be a group of overmatched rivals, Echo Zulu left her fans holding their breath in the lane when confronted by a determined Hidden Connection (Connect). However, the Eclipse winner summoned all her class to eke out the victory, keeping her perfect record in tact and stamping her ticket to the First Friday in May.

Away well from her rail draw, Echo Zulu took up her preferred position at the head of affairs, clocking opening splits of :23.79 and :47.68 with Turnerloose (Nywuist) on her heels and host of foes just behind her. Drifting off the rail a path turning for home, the bay was confronted for the first time in her young career when Hidden Connection drew alongside, posing a serious threat in mid-stretch. As the wire rapidly approached, it looked like the Eclipse winner may lose her perfect record, but she proved to be all guts and all class, fending off that foe for a narrow victory.

Echo Zulu was the undeniable choice for last year's champion 2-year-old filly honors after a flawless season that included three Grade Is. Earning the 'TDN Rising Star' tag off a dominant score in her Saratoga unveiling July 15, the $300,000 KEESEP acquisition took them gate-to-wire in that venue's GI Spinaway S. Sept. 5, winning by four lengths. In a race of her own when taking Belmont's GI Frizette S. Oct. 3 by 7 1/4 lengths, Echo Zulu was the easiest of winners at the World Championships at Del Mar, wiring the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies by 5 1/4 lengths with Hidden Connection back in fourth. She returned to the worktab in early February and has been breezing steadily towards this return.

Pedigree Notes:

Echo Zulu was the first Grade I winner and first champion for last year's leading freshman sire Gun Runner. His second Grade I winner came just a day after her Spinaway victory when stablemate Gunite took the GI Hopeful S. Her co-owner Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen also campaigned her sire and Gunite. Avocet purchased the winner's GSW dam Letgomyecho for $135,000 at the 2011 KEENOV sale and since then she has produced five black-type horses. The first was GSP Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song) and he was immediately followed by GSW J Boys Echo (Mineshaft). Two years later she produced SP Dragic (Broken Vow), who was followed by Coolmore stallion and GISW Echo Town (Speightstown), and two years after that came her best yet in Echo Zulu. Her final foal, a filly named Doing Justice (American Pharoah), brought $1.4 million from Northshore Bloodstock at KEESEP.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
TWINSPIRES.COM FAIR GROUNDS OAKS-GII, $388,000, Fair Grounds, 3-26, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:42.69, ft.
1–ECHO ZULU, 122, f, 3, 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 and Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $240,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 5-5-0-0, $1,720,000. *1/2 to Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song), GSP, $253,478; 1/2 to J Boys Echo (Mineshaft), GSW, $377,543; 1/2 to Echo Town (Speightstown), GISW, $410,020. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Hidden Connection, 122, f, 3, Connect–C J's Gal, by Awesome Again. ($49,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $40,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $55,000 RNA 2yo '21 OBSAPR; $85,000 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds; B-St. Simon Place (KY); T-W. Bret Calhoun. $80,000.
3–Favor, 122, f, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Fame and Fortune, by Unbridled's Song. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($500,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Diamond Creek Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $40,000.
Margins: NO, 2 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.10, 9.50, 12.40.
Also Ran: Turnerloose, Sequist, Bernabreezy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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First Mares Check In-foal for Fulls to Laoban, Gun Runner

The first mares bred to Fortune Ticket (Candy Ride {Arg}-Quiet Giant, by Giant's Causeway) and Son of Thunder (Uncle Mo-Chattertown, by Speightstown) have been confirmed in foal via press release from Climax Stallions. Fortune Ticket, the full-brother to Horse of the Year and #1 two-year-old sire Gun Runner, is standing his first season at Anchor and Hope Farm in Maryland. On the board in four of six lifetime starts with two wins, he sold for $27,000 two years ago at KEENOV. Son of Thunder, the full-brother to the late Laoban, is standing his first season at Waldorf Farm in New York. The bay was a $475,000 Denali Stud consignment, and he went the way of Lael Stable at the 2019 Saratoga Select yearling sale. He retired with a second-place effort from only three lifetime starts. Fortune Ticket and Son of Thunder are both standing the 2022 breeding season for an advertised fee of $2,500, stands and nurses. “We are thrilled to be able to bring such elite bloodlines to the regional markets,” said Sean Feld, President of Climax Stallions, whose group is supporting both freshman with multiple mares. “Both stallions have stellar physicals to match, which has us anxiously awaiting the foals to come.”

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Early Voting Works for Wood Memorial

Klaravich Stables' Early Voting (Gun Runner) worked in company Friday in preparation for the GII Wood Memorial Apr. 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The unbeaten GIII Withers S. winner went a half-mile in :48.47 (26/134) over the Belmont Park training track with stablemate and last year's Withers winner Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro).

“The horse is coming along really well,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He's been doing well since the Withers and he's been doing everything the right way. He's still on track for the Wood.”

Early Voting captured his debut going a one-turn mile Dec. 18 at Aqueduct before annexing the Withers in front-running by 4 1/2 lengths over Un Ojo (Laoban), the next-out winner of the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. Grantham (Declaration of War), the fourth-place finisher in the Withers, came back to run second in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12.

“It was great for him to finish ahead of those horses in only his second start. As a trainer, it gives you a lot of confidence coming out of a key race,” Brown said.

Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart) remains on target for the GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 9 at Keeneland. The unlucky GII Remsen S. runner-up made his 2022 debut in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds, where he missed the break but rallied from 10th to finish third.

“He missed the break, but I was happy to see him persevere. He got a lot out of the race fitness wise,” Brown said.

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Into Mischief’s Gina Romantica Sparkles on Debut

6th-Tampa Bay Downs, $32,000, Msw, 3-12, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.35, gd, 1 1/4 lengths.
GINA ROMANTICA (f, 3, Into Mischief–Special Me, by Unbridled's Song) left the gates as a heavy 4-5 favorite in this debut for powerhouse connections. Rating from seventh early on, the $1.025 million KEESEP purchase watched the pack in front jostle for position down the backstretch and through the final turn. Called on for her rally coming into the lane from the far outside, Gina Romantica swooped by her rivals under a confident ride to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Spiked (Unified). Out of Special Me, the pretty bay claims several talented siblings including Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast), MGSW & GISP, $856,062, who was bred back to Gun Runner after producing a filly by him last year; new Lane's End stallion Gift Box (Twirling Candy), GISW, $1,127,060; and Special Forces (Candy Ride {Arg}), MGSW-Can, SP-USA, $409,147. Gina Romantica is the first seven-figure sale for the small, but mighty blue hen Special Me. However, the mare's year-older filly named Meir Point (Medaglia d'Oro) brought $500,000 from Larry Best as a weanling at the FTKNOV sale. Special Me aborted her 2020 Quality Road foal and her 2021 Curlin filly died. The mare is expecting a full-sibling to Gina Romantica this season. Sales history: $1,025,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $18,240. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Peter M. Brant; B-Machmer Hall, Carrie & Craig Brogden (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

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