Tag: Honorable Miss H.

MGISW Echo Zulu Earns Fastest Six Furlong Beyer Of The Year, Ballerina Could Be Next

Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) has won three Grade Is and earned an Eclipse Award, but in Wednesday's GII Honorable Miss H. the 4-year-old filly added to her resume when she posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 112–the fastest number recorded by any horse going six furlongs this year.

“I'm extremely proud of her race. That obviously was an impressive race and that would put a [big] number on it,” Asmussen said. “I'm very happy with how she came out of the race yesterday. I'm unbelievably impressed with her and I honestly didn't expect anything less.”

While the GI Ballerina H. Aug. 26 at Saratoga is the likely next target for Echo Zulu, neither Asmussen nor Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing manager David Fiske ruled out a future start against males.

“It probably has everything to do with how Gunite [by Gun Runner, who is entered in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.] does in the division with the common ownership,” Asmussen said. “But I'm definitely not scared to run her against anybody. We'll do whatever is best for the other horses that Winchell and L and N own.”

Winchell and Asmussen also campaign MGSW and MGISP Wicked Halo (Gun Runner), who won last weekend's Twin Bridges S. at Ellis Park.

“The plan last week was that if Wicked Halo ran well and Echo Zulu ran well, they would both show up in the Ballerina,” said Fiske. “We'll try to keep everyone healthy and go on down the path. People are speculating that Echo Zulu should go to the [GI] Breeders' Cup Sprint and pass the [GI Breeders' Cup] Filly and Mare Sprint. We do have Wicked Halo, but I don't know what we would do with Gunite because he could win the Sprint, too.”

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Echo Zulu Returns To The Spa In Honorable Miss

The GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga is named after the highly-successful multiple stakes-winning mare from the 1970s. Owned by Edith Bancroft's sons who carried on the family tradition established by their grandfather, William Woodward Sr., the pair founded Pen-Y-Bryn Farm after their own mother's passing.

With only four entered, this year's edition is highlighted by the Saratoga return of '21 champion 2-year-old filly and MGISW Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). The Steve Asmussen trainee won her juvenile debut at the Spa when she soared to become a 'TDN Rising Star' and followed that up with a 4-length win in the GI Spinaway S.

Second last fall in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint between Eclipse champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) and stablemate MGSW &MGISP Wicked Halo (Gun Runner), who just won the Twin Bridges S. at Ellis Park on Sunday, Echo Zulu started her 4-year-old campaign by recording a 5 3/4 length victory in the GIII Winning Colors S. May 29 at Churchill Downs.

Facing her, will be MGISP Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) from Bill Mott's shedrow. The 6-year-old mare (27-12-9-3) comes back to Saratoga riding a three-race win streak, which includes two Grade III victories at Gulfstream Park. Rounding out the field are a pair of runners who were beaten last time out by Goodnight Olive. Maryquitecontrary (First Dude), who has won six of eight career races, ran second to her in the GI Madison S. in April at Keeneland for new trainer Shug McGaughey, while Dr B (Liam's Map), trained by Butch Reid, was fourth behind her in the GII Bed o' Roses S. June 17 at Belmont Park.

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Bell’s The One To Bypass BC, Likely To Train On in 2022

Following a conversation with owner Robert Lothenbach of Lothenbach Stables, trainer Neil Pessin confirmed that his Grade I-winning mare Bell's The One (Majesticperfection) will not start in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 6 and will instead make her final start of the season in the $300,000 Dream Supreme S. at Churchill Downs one week later. Pessin added that the relatively lightly raced mare would likely remain in training for a 6-year-old campaign in 2022.

The $155,000 Fasig-Tipton July gradauate has won three of her six starts this season, including the GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga in July, and earned a fees-paid berth into the Filly & Mare Sprint with a victory in the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. at Keeneland Oct. 9. Bell's The One returned to the worktab Friday morning, breezing an easy half-mile in :47.80 (6/90) beneath the Twin Spires.

“The work was good, just an easy half-mile, :48 3/5 I had,” said Pessin. “She finished off good. I didn't ask her for a whole lot today. She'll have two more works before running at Churchill on the 13th. But everything went according to plan.”

 

 

Despite the automatic berth earned in the TCA, Pessin was non-committal about the trip to Del Mar within the context of the travel arrangements secured by Breeders' Cup. A FedEx flight is departing Indianapolis, some 90 minutes north of Louisville, Nov. 1 and neither the trainer nor barn personnel are permitted on the flight.

“I was just concerned with her with the logistics of how it was set up,” Pessin explained. “She's kind of a high-strung filly and I just didn't know if it was in her best interests to make the trip or not. What it boiled down to was deciding that it would not be in her best interests, so we decided to stay here and run a week later from our backyard.

He continued, “The three causes for concern were: going from [Louisville] to Indianapolis, because you could always get tied up at the airport and you never know how long that's going to take. Also, she's never been put in a crate and if she got anxious in the crate, it could have caused some problems for her. And the fact that I or one of my employees couldn't go with her, those were the three main concerns.”

Pessin said he had the complete support of his client.

“Bob asked what I thought was in the best interest of the mare and I gave him my thoughts about the shipping and shared my concerns. He said, 'then go ahead and do what you want and run at Churchill.' He is the kind of owner that cares much more about the horse than anything else.”

Having faced the starter just 21 times in four seasons of racing, Pessin is happy to press on with her in 2022, all things equal, a season that could culminate with a run in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.

“Right now it looks like she's probably going to run next year,” he said. “What we do next year is next year, but that had nothing to do with our decision today. We'll see how it plays out. We'll run at Churchill and give her about six weeks off then point to the [GI] Madison [S.] at Keeneland and the [GI] Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill and then we'll see what happens.”

Third to Gamine (Into Mischief) in the 2020 Filly & Mare Sprint, Bell's The One dead-heated for second in this year's Madison and was a troubled fourth in the Derby City Distaff.

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