Ways and Means, a homebred for Klaravich Stables, earned a field-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure for her geared-down 12 3/4-length debut victory going six furlongs Aug. 6. She'll take on an additional furlong in the Spinaway.

“She's had two easy works since, and she looks fine,” trainer Chad Brown said. “I'm excited to see her run again. We've been training easy.”

Brightwork made it three-for-three for trainer John Ortiz with an impressive win of her own in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack Aug. 6. The re-opposing GIII Schuylerville S. winner Becky's Joker (Practical Joke) was a distant seventh that day.

“The thing about her works is that she's only getting better and better,” Ortiz said of Brightwork. “Her heart rate is showing that she's asking for more distance and so we're going in there as confident as can be.”

The field of 10 also includes: Astoria S. winner and Schuylerville third Closing Act (Munnings); the Bill Mott-trained six-length debut winner on opening day Sugar Hi (Twirling Candy); and Alys Beach (Omaha Beach), who defeated next-out runaway winner Life Talk (Gun Runner) by a head on debut July 30.

Sunday's graded stakes action also includes: the GII Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and the GIII National Thoroughbred League Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs.

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Out of the Klaravich-campaigned stakes winner Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward), Ways and Means was a standout at Dell Ridge Farm since the day she was foaled. Sent to Nick de Meric's in Ocala to go through her early training, again she was one of the highest-rated horses in his barn. The story was much the same when she arrived at Chad Brown's barn early this summer.

“She's been the leader of her crop all the way until she got to us and she's been the leader here too,” Chad Brown said the morning after her maiden win. “Those horses that are really the leaders of their class from birth and everyone that has touched them has the same thing to say, that's really where the stars come from.”

Jockey Flavien Prat got to know the bay juvenile this summer in Saratoga leading up to her debut. On July 23, she worked out of the gate with Prat aboard, going five furlongs just a tick over a minute flat. From there, jockey and trainer made a plan to make her first start a learning experience.

“I really wanted Flavien to try to teach her something and not be on the lead,” Brown explained. “He executed beautifully. She was able to rate behind horses quietly and then when he made the lead, she was professional.”

Ways and Means launched her bid going around the turn, took the lead at the top of the stretch and then cruised down the lane without so much as a hint of urging from Prat.

“It's hard for an unraced 2-year-old to even breeze alone, let alone run alone–a whole stretch with no partner to either chase or follow,” said Brown. “You often see horses maybe get green, not travel straight or wait on horses. None of that with her. She just galloped through the lane like she was a 3-year-old. Flavien really took care of her through the lane. I'm happy that he never really asked her to run much because there's a lot of big stuff ahead of her.”

The filly is on to the Sept. 9 GI Spinaway S, according to Brown, who added that he wasn't concerned about the stretch in distance or the heightened competition.

“It just felt like she had a lot more in the tank,” he said of her debut.

The filly follows a pretty similar path as her sire Practical Joke, who also broke his maiden on debut on Aug. 6 for Chad Brown back in 2016 and went on to earn the GI Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S. double.

The Ashford Stud-based stallion was competitive on the 2017 Kentucky Derby trail, running second in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GII Blue Grass S. and finishing fifth on Derby day, but he returned to the winner's circle later that year for the GIII Dwyer S. and GI H. Allen Jerkens S.

“He was such an honest, hard knocking, reliable racehorse,” recalled Brown. “He raced at the highest level. He was effective running really from six furlongs all the way to a mile and an eighth. The more I do this, I find that those horses that have a wide range in distance and still are effective through various distances, oftentimes they become really good sires.”

Practical Joke is also the sire of this year's GIII Schuylerville S. winner Becky's Joker and he currently ranks second behind Gun Runner on the list of leading third-crop sires.

Ways and Means is one of six homebreds by Practical Joke this year for Klaravich Stables. Her dam has also produced GSW and Airdrie sire Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) and recent GIII Lake George S. winner Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}).

All three Klaravich-bred athletes are also campaigned by their breeder, which is a unique occurrence for the prominent racing entity.

“The Klaravich plan is we mostly buy horses in the marketplace and sell our very best horses as part of our business plan to pay for the new purchases,” explained Brown. “Seth [Klarman] loves racing and we're trying to constantly make minor changes to what we're doing to get to the races that we really want to get to together. That said, we may keep a broodmare or two along the way that we felt had a lot of ability. We've bred a few of these in conjunction with the breeding rights that we've started to accumulate from stallions that we've made. The breeding is never going to be the centerpiece of our racing operation, but it's an evolving plan all the time and we're always trying to get better at it.”

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The colt worked in company with graded stakes-winner Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) in preparation for the GII Jim Dandy July 29 at the Spa.

“He jumped on the bridle a little early, so I kind of took a little hold away from the horse,” said Ortiz, Jr. “I allowed him to see the company and go after him. He did.”

Pletcher said he was pleased with the work, which he moved to the training track after heavy rains overnight led to the main track being sealed this morning.

“We fortunately had the option of coming over here on a harrowed track,” said Pletcher. “I thought he worked well. He's a pretty straightforward horse and he does what you ask him to do. I thought he was moving really well and he seemed happy. He usually sits a little off [his workmate] to keep him focused.”

Ortiz, Jr., who regularly works the colt, said Forte was as professional as usual.

“We went 48 and change. On this kind of track, it is really good,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “He is doing good. He looked good, he looked happy, so let's see what happens. The way he does things [excites me]. He knows where the wire is. He loves to win. You can see in the Belmont Stakes, I kept trying with him and he kept coming. He's a fighter.”

“He's obviously a very fit horse and he just ran a mile and a half, so we don't feel like we have to do a lot with him leading up to this race,” continued Pletcher. “We'll probably come back with another maintenance work next week.”

“I think you can see he's a little more laid back. He's an intelligent colt and takes everything in stride, and you can see he's matured that way,” said Pletcher. “Obviously it was a frustrating spring and he ran terrific in the Belmont considering what he was up against. To me, he's a deserving divisional leader, but like everyone else, he's got to continue to win to hold that spot.”

Pletcher also provided an update on 2-year-old filly Wine On Tap (Tapit), who finished an even fourth in Thursday's GIII Schuylerville S. as the post-time favorite.

“She looks good. She was just kind of one-paced down the lane and I thought she recovered and galloped out really well,” said Pletcher. “She is a filly that we've always thought would be better going longer. It was just a little disappointing that she didn't finish up a little better than she did yesterday, but she came back well and looked good this morning.”

Speaking of the Schuylerville, trainer Gary Contessa was still watching replays on Friday morning of Lee Pokoik's Becky's Joker (Practical Joke), who launched what appears to be a promising career with a debut victory in the opening-day feature.

The sizable bay stands 16.3 hands high and, “towers over everybody” in the barn according to Contessa, who confirmed the filly for the seven-furlong GI Spinaway S. September 3 at the Spa.

“She came back sound and they tell me she looked great this morning,” said Contessa, who was catching a flight to Nashville to watch his son's baseball tournament. “She honestly can only get better. She's got a lot more left in the tank, so we're looking forward to seeing what she can come up with next. As big as she is, and as big as her stride is, she's going to get better as the distances stretch out. I think seven-eighths is going to hit her right between the eyeballs in the Spinaway.”

Contessa commented on the soundness and the good mind of his newly minted graded stakes winner.

“Knock on wood, she's been very, very sound and very healthy. Everything has gone our way so far, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it continues,” Contessa said. “She's trained as well as any horse I've ever had as a 2-year-old. No matter what you ask her to do, she's push button and picks it up to another gear. Her mind is so good. She had it figured out and she's really a smart filly.”

One can expect Contessa, who has 10 stalls on Saratoga's Oklahoma backstretch, to unleash more promising young talent throughout the meet.

“All these babies are ready to run, so we're going to have a real presence,” Contessa said. “This was a great win to start with and we have even more pretty nice horses awaiting their turn.”

Forte (Violence), on the outside, working on the Oklahoma training track Friday morning under Irad Ortiz Jr. ⁦@theTDN⁩ pic.twitter.com/kahhoF9qug

— Mike Kane (@MKane49) July 14, 2023

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Dating to 1881, back when the Kentucky Derby was running for just the seventh time, President James Garfield was assassinated in office, and there was what would become a legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral, the Spinaway has seen its share of history. The race itself is named after 1880's top 2-year-old filly, who beat colts seven times in stakes that year. She was by Leamington, who, among his spate of top progeny, also sired Aristides (winner of the inaugural Kentucky Derby) and Iroquois (the first U.S.-bred horse to win the Epsom Derby and St. Leger across the pond). Spinaway herself foaled a couple of nice runners and was granddam of 1904 Spinaway winner Tanya, remembered today for winning the 1905 Belmont S.

Contrary to more recent trends, the Spinaway S. has actually increased in distance from its beginnings. It started as a five-furlong contest, was bumped up to 5 1/2 furlongs in 1901, increased again to six panels in 1922, and has been run at seven-eighths since 1994. With the unprecedented Tapit filly deadheat in 2016 and a number of missed years early on, the Spinaway has officially recorded 131 individual winners. How they have fared as broodmares!

Some of the Spinaway winners who belong on this list were previously featured in our “Background Checks” for the GI Alabama S., GI Test S., or GIII Schuylerville S.; please see those earlier profiles for notes on Hot Dixie Chick, Meadow Star, Talking Picture, Numbered Account (who already appeared in two!), Moccasin, Risque, and Sallie McClelland. Following are the some of the other most important Spinaway winners by what impact they have had on the breed through their sons and daughters.

Alanesian (1954, Polynesian–Alablue, by Blue Larkspur): This E. Barry Ryan/Normandy Farm-bred mare produced three stakes winners, including Princessnesian, one of the handful of mares to win the Hollywood Gold Cup. A number of significant winners trace to her, including champion granddaughter Revidere, but the legacy she's left on the breed–through sons, grandsons, and the like–is absolutely staggering. Without her son Boldnesian, there would be no Seattle Slew. Without her grandson Ride the Rails, there would be no Candy Ride (Arg). And without her great-great grandson Harlan's Holiday, there would be no Into Mischief.

Sunday Evening (1947, Eight Thirty–Drowsy, by Royal Minstrel {GB}): She produced just one stakes winner–1964 Test winner Time for Bed–but this Greentree Stud homebred's daughters and descendants produced champion 2-year-old Silent Screen; champion 3-year-old filly Dark Mirage; multiple European champion Indian Skimmer; Irish champion Bluebird; GISWs Missy's Mirage, Classy Mirage, Java Gold, Swagger Jack, Timely Writer, and Timely Assertion; and many more.

Myrtle Charm (1946, Alsab–Crepe Myrtle, by Equipoise): One daughter won the Frizette and Alcibiades, but it was another daughter who produced My Charmer, dam of Horse of the Year and incredible breed-shaping sire Seattle Slew. A smattering of other nice horses appear in the family, including Seattle Slew's half-brother, G1 Two Thousand Guineas winner Lomond, but nothing else could compare to the accomplishments of the great Slew. Myrtle Charm was bred by Brownell Combs and Leslie Combs II.

Bellesoeur (1945, Beau Pere {GB}–Donatrice {GB}, by Donatello II {Fr}): Bred in California by Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of MGM Studios, this mare was extremely prolific, with nearly four dozen stakes winners produced by her and her daughters in just the first couple of generations alone. She remains relevant although distant in pedigrees today, as last year's ill-fated Medina Spirit traced directly to her, as did 2015 Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse.

Our Page (1940, Blue Larkspur–Occult, by Dis Donc {Fr}): This Royce G. Martin homebred produced five foals, all colts. All were stakes winners and all were sires, the best of whom was undoubtedly Bull Page. He was Canadian Horse of the Year in 1951 and an influential Canadian sire. His most long-lasting effect on the breed is as broodmare sire of Nijinsky II and a son of his was the broodmare sire of Storm Bird. Our Page was named Broodmare of the Year in 1948 when Bull Page was just a yearling.

Loves Only You traces to 1939 Spinaway winner Now What | Horsephotos

Now What (1937, Chance Play–That's That, by High Time): She produced Next Move, a dual champion in the U.S. and a 12-time stakes winner of races that are almost overwhelmingly designated as Grade I today. A number of other top horses trace to the Three D's Stock Farm-bred as well, but her pièce de résistance is surely great-great granddaughter Pasadoble, who singlehandedly founded a dynasty of champions. Pasadoble's greatest foal was her first: multiple French, English, and U.S. champion Miesque, who in turn produced champion East of the Moon, additional MG1SW Kingmambo,  and two other GSWs. Other champions of the last two decades descended from Pasadoble include Alpha Centauri (Ire), Six Perfections (Fr), Rumplestiltskin (Ire), and Loves Only You (Jpn).

Blue Warbler (1922, North Star III {GB}–May Bird {GB}, by Thrush {GB}): It may be more of a challenge to find this mare of a century ago in pedigrees today, but it can still be done. Her handful of foals included champions Barn Swallow and Balladier. The latter was a good sire whose sons Double Jay and Spy Song can still be found buried in many a current runner.

Court Dress (1904, Disguise–Hampton Belle {GB}, by Hampton {GB}): Records start getting spotty this far back, but there's no doubt this mare has a vast number of top-class horses tracing to her, including leading sires Deputy Minister and Exclusive Native.

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Kaling (Practical Joke) will exit from the rail following a 'TDN Rising Star' performance on debut for Todd Pletcher at the Spa July 24.

Pletcher's former boss D. Wayne Lukas will be very well-represented as well via last out GIII Adirondack S. Aug. 7 heroine Naughty Gal (Into Mischief). The duo share a co-leading six Spinaway victories.

“I enjoy it and I pull for him,” Lukas said of facing the aforementioned fellow Hall of Fame trainer. “Let's just hope that we keep it in the family. On numerous occasions when we've been in the same field and they're turning for home, if it doesn't look like we can win my wife and I both will start hollering for Todd. That's a very satisfying thing.”

Just Cindy (Justify), unbeaten heroine of the GIII Schuylerville S. on opening day, breaks one to the outside of the latter in post five.

Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief), recently profiled in these pages, is also perfect in two attempts, last seen running away with Churchill's Debutante S. July 4.

Sunday's other graded action includes: Del Mar's 'Win and You're In' GIII Green Flash H. for turf sprinters, featuring the race's defending winner and 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint runner-up Lieutenant Dan (Grazen); and the GIII Torrey Pines S. for 3-year-old fillies.

Last out GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. winner Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy), meanwhile, headlines the $750,000 GIII Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs.

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The historic event has been won by subsequent Champion 2-Year-Old Females Before Dawn [1981], Family Style [1985], Meadow Star [1990], Flanders [1994], Golden Attraction [1995], Countess Diana [1997] and Vequist [2020]. In its earlier years, the Spinaway was won by Hall of Fame fillies Miss Woodford [1883], Maskette [1908], Top Flight [1930], Cicada [1961], Affectionately [1962], La Prevoyante [1972] and Ruffian [1974].

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Echo Zulu was highly impressive on debut, romping to a 5 ½-length maiden score on July 15 at Saratoga, where she recorded a 92 Beyer Speed Figure – the highest recorded figure for a 2-year-old filly this year.

“The idea was always that she could be a Saratoga 2-year-old,” said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske. “She showed some early speed, but for her to win the way she did and to get the number she got, I don't think anyone was expecting that.”

Echo Zulu, bought for $300,000 out of the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the graded stakes winning Menifee mare Letgomyecho. She is a half-sister to L and N Racing's Echo Town, the winner of last year's Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial.

A victory would give her leading freshman stallion Gun Runner his first Grade 1 win as a sire. He has already sired two graded stakes winners in his first crop, including Grade 2 Adironack winner Wicked Halo who also is owned by Winchell and trained by Asmussen.

“She came out of Steve's parents' operation in Laredo pretty highly touted,” Fiske said. “We have some pretty big expectations for her. We were grateful that [co-owner Mike] Levinson let us partner up with her. We bought a few other yearlings last year and since he had Echo Town, he asked about her. We looked at her and got her as well.”

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. will retain the mount from post 3.

While Echo Zulu attempts to rise to the occasion, Pretty Birdie will seek a second graded stakes triumph for trainer Norm Casse.

The Marylou Whitney Stables-owned daughter of Bird Song has led at every point of call in two starts. After a runaway debut victory on June 18 at Churchill Downs, she captured the Grade 3 Schuylerville on July 15 at Saratoga by two lengths.

Jockey Luis Saez will return aboard Pretty Birdie from post 5.

An impressive 2 ¼-length score on debut at 36-1 odds has given trainer Robertino Diodoro confidence that Dream Lith can step up to Grade 1 company.

The dark bay or brown daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, owned by Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith, broke her maiden on August 8 going 6 ½ furlongs at the Spa. She tracked a close fourth in the clear down the backstretch before making her move in between horses in upper stretch and taking command at the eighth pole.

Despite always having high hopes in Dream Lith, Diodoro said the first-out success was a bit of a surprise.

“We're really excited about her,” Diodoro said. “She wasn't supposed to do what she did that day, not because of ability, we knew she had that. We thought it would take two turns for her to break her maiden. I think even the extra furlong going into the Spinaway is going to help her even more. She's awesome. Sometimes, you see a maiden win first out. Maybe she was more ready than the other horses, but this filly is the real deal.”

Diodoro added that Dream Lith bounced out of her maiden score exceptionally well.

“Some horses that break their maiden first out, you have to ease off. But she just came back like a pro,” Diodoro said. “She's giving us all the signs that she's the real deal.”

Jockey David Cohen retains the mount from post 7.

Tarabi is also seeking a breakthrough victory following an impressive debut maiden win on August 7 at Ellis Park.

In her six-furlong maiden score, the chestnut daughter of First Samurai maintained her inside position down the backstretch, inched her way to the front under no urging and was never in doubt in the stretch, winning by 5 ½ lengths.

Owned by LBD Stable, Manganaro Bloodstock and David Ingordo, Tarabi is out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Bay, making her a full-sister to Shivaji, a Group 3 winner in Japan.

“As an early 2-year-old she was very forward and never had a bad day on the track,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux. “She's very straightforward and mature mentally. She showed a lot of talent in the morning and the plan was always to run her at Ellis and if she ran to our expectations, to give her a shot in the Spinaway.”

Tarabi has breezed twice at Saratoga following her maiden victory.

“She's adjusted really well,” DeVaux said. “She continues to train well. She's grown, matured and progressed physically. She's had one easy work over the track and one where we asked a bit more of her and she handled it really well and got over the track really well. She's come out of it in good shape.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, a two-time Spinaway victor, will ride Tarabi from post 1.

Completing the field are Girl With a Dream [post 2, Florent Geroux], Benbang [post 4, Manny Franco], Saucy Lady T [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Sequist [post 8, Junior Alvarado], Sue Ellen Mishkin [post 9, Jose Ortiz],

The prestigious race is named in honor of George Lorillard's talented chestnut who won seven of her nine starts, including stakes wins at the defunct Jerome Park and Sheepshead Bay Park. Successful in her career as a broodmare, Spinaway was the granddam of Tanya, who won her grandmother's namesake race in 1904 before defeating colts in the Belmont Stakes the following year. Other prominent descendants of Spinaway include multiple champion producing stallion Giant's Causeway, prolific broodmare Hasili and European champion Gleneagles.

The Spinaway is slated as Race 11 on Sunday's 12-race program, which offers a first post of 12:35 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Along with Gerald Isbister, Bakke is the co-owner of 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings), a Chad Brown-trained colt who brought down the house Saturday with an 8 3/4-length maiden win at Saratoga. Jack Christopher, who is named for Bakke's six-month-old grandson, will head to the GI Champagne S., which could be a springboard to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Bakke is also the owner of Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke). She broke her maiden impressively on July 24 at Ellis Park and will make her next start in Sunday's GI Spinaway S. for trainer Brad Cox. The hope is that she will earn her way to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Jack Christopher earned a 92 Beyer figure, just one point less than the leader among 2-year-olds, Big City Lights (Mr. Big).

Bakke is the president and CEO of Sub-Zero, a luxury refrigeration company based in Madison, Wisconsin that has been in the Bakke family since 1945. A longtime racing fan who attended many a running of the GI Kentucky Derby, he decided to get involved in ownership in the late nineties, but did so on a small scale.

“I started out really small with my brother-in-law, Fred Schwartz,” Bakke explained. “He's the one who introduced me to ownership back then. We had been going to the Derby forever and then we decided to buy some horses about 1998, 1999. We were buying just one or two a year, very modest horses. They were all claimers.”

Bakke enjoyed his first taste of real success when Mr Freeze (To Honor and Serve) came around in 2018. Trained by Dale Romans, he earned $1,595,000 and won the 2018 GIII West Virginia Derby, the GIII 2019 Ack Ack S., the 2020 GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. and the 2020 Hagyard Fayette S. He was also second in the 2020 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Mr. Freeze, a $75,000 Keeneland September purchase, was part of a plan. Bakke was ready to spend a bit more on horses, building up quantity and quality. Mr Freeze is also co-owned by Isbsiter, who is a distributor for Sub-Zero.

“This has been about my love of the game,” he said. “I was hoping to have a little more luck and the way you do that in horse racing is to increase your numbers, the amount of horses you buy every year and who you have buying them for you.”

Bloodstock advisor Bradley Weisbord signed on to work for Bakke and was told to go find more horses like Mr Freeze.

“I have picked really great partners,” said Bakke, whose stable at this time of year usually numbers from 10 to 12. “Chad Brown is the trainer of Jack Christopher and Bradley Weisbord and his team did a tremendous job finding Jack Christopher.”

Bakke said he offers little, if any, input on picking out the horses, but there is a budget. Liz Crow chose Jack Christopher for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling sale, and Girl With a Dream for $115,000 at Keeneland September. That's his price range.

“Potentially, I could buy more expensive horses,” he said. “Over the years, I have bought a few in the 300 to 350 range. But when those horses don't turn out so well, it hurts. Buying them where I'm at right now, if they don't work out we can reload and try again. I have had tremendous luck buying horses in that price range, starting with Mr. Freeze, who I got for $75,000. If you employ people who know what they are looking for and are good at it, I think you can buy a little bit down market and be successful. Let's face it, you need a lot of luck in this game. And even if you do have a successful horse, keeping them sound is another issue. They are so fragile. When you start buying in those upper-price ranges and if your horse doesn't do well or does well and gets hurt, that's just a big bite out of you.”

Bakke is so hands off that he never once spoke to Brown prior to Jack Christopher's debut.

“I think they also appreciate that I don't micro-manage things,” he said. “I don't call them up and ask them how a horse is doing even on a weekly basis. I might call them before a big race or every once in a while. But I don't keep track of the horses on a daily basis. I still have my job back in Madison, so I've got plenty to do on a daily basis.”

Yet, he knew the colt had potential.

“With Jack Christopher, I think Chad was going to wait for the horse to run and let Jack Christopher do the talking,” he said. “I knew he was enthused about the horse because I was getting positive reports.”
While he is optimistic about Jack Christopher's future, Bakke says he tries not to get too carried away with his young horses. With Jack Christopher and Girl With a Dream, that may be hard to do.

“It's great to have these kind of quality 2-year-olds,” he said. “Once in a while, I've hit on a few, but probably nothing like this. Both of them will be running in Grade I's over the next 30 days. We'll see where it goes. It's been a great ride and I'm looking forward to the ride continuing in the future.”

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The 2-year-old daughter of leading freshman stallion and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who also was trained by Asmussen and owned by Winchell, tracked mutuel favorite Lady Scarlet from second, taking the lead in upper stretch and powering home impressively to register a 92 Beyer for the 5 1/2-furlong contest.

David Fiske, bloodstock and racing advisor to co-owner Ron Winchell, said that both the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack on Aug. 8 or the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway on Sept. 5 could be in play for Echo Zulu.

“I can imagine she'll run back in a stake somewhere,” Fiske said. “Whether that's the Adirondack or the Spinaway, it just depends on how she trains and how she comes out of this.”

Echo Zulu, a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Echo Town and graded stakes winner J Boys Echo, gave her sire an eighth winner in his first crop. Five of his eight winners are owned by Winchell.

“The assessment on most of the Gun Runners is that they don't have a lot of early gate speed, but they will keep running,” Fiske said. “Everyone has been excited that distance will be where they really start to excel. The performance yesterday was good. She left the gate running, going around the turn laying second. All the other Gun Runners we've had don't have a lot of quit in them. To open up by five and run such a high Beyer was just icing on the cake.”

Asmussen, a three-time winner of the Adirondack, teamed up with Ron Winchell to capture the 2015 edition with Just Wicked.

Echo Zulu, a $300,000 purchase from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of black type producer and graded stakes winner Letgomyecho.

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Reid said the main target for Vequist is the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies on September 25 at Parx.

“She's been training lightly down at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and she'll be coming back to my barn at Parx in the next 10 days,” said Reid, Jr. “We're looking forward to a fall campaign with her and have our eye on the Cotillion. I could see us possibly getting her a start at the end of Saratoga. We're excited to get her back in action.”

A dark bay daughter of Nyquist out of the Mineshaft mare Vero Amore, Vequist graduated at second asking with a 9 1/2-length romp in the Grade 1 Spinaway in September at Saratoga. The talented filly followed with a second to Dayoutoftheoffice in the Grade 1 Frizette in October at Belmont before turning the tables on that foe with a two-length score in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Keeneland.

Vequist has been on the shelf since finishing ninth in her seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in February at Gulfstream Park.

Reid, Jr has nominated a pair of unraced fillies owned by LC Racing to the $150,000 Astoria, a 5 ½-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies on Thursday, June 3, including Disco Ebo and Mainstay, who is a half-sister to Vequist.

“One of them will definitely come, but I'm not sure which one just yet,” said Reid, Jr. “They've put up a maiden race here [at Parx] and I'm thinking one will go in there. It's tough to ship and start in a stakes race first time out, but sometimes you have to take a chance.”

Reid said Mainstay, by Astern, is stockier than Vequist.

“She's a different horse than Vequist. She's a little shorter and a little more stout,” said Reid, Jr. “She has more of a sprinter type body where Vequist was long and languid and has a big, giant stride on her. This filly is a little more compact and speedier. She has a good turn of foot and I think she's a top-quality filly. We'll have some fun with her.”

Maintstay, bred in Kentucky by Swilcan Stables, breezed in company with Disco Ebo through their first three timed works at Parx before Reid Jr. said he was forced to separate them.

“They were very competitive and it was a really good match,” said Reid, Jr. “They went through their early paces together and then I was trying to get them to slow down a little bit, so I separated them for their last couple of breezes. We're very fortunate with this group. We're excited about our 2-year-olds this year.”

In her two works since being separated from Disco Ebo, Mainstay posted a bullet half-mile in 47.03 on May 15 at Parx and followed up with a sharp five-eighths from the gate in 1:00.02 on May 22 on the same track.

Disco Ebo, by Weigelia, is out of the Disco Rico mare Katarica Disco, who has produced eight winning foals to race, including stakes winners Fat Kat and Smooth B, who are full siblings to Disco Ebo.

Also among the talented family are Disco Rose, third in the 2015 Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A, who posted a record of 36-4-9-4 with purse earnings of $449,280; and the stakes-placed Pink Princess, who boasted a ledger of 66-16-19-7 with purse earnings of $572,135.

“There's four of them that made over $400,000 that are full brothers and sisters to her and I've had them all,” said Reid Jr. “Disco Rose was graded stakes placed in New York and made over $400,00 and Pink Princess made over a half-million. It's been a good family for us and we've taken nearly $2 million out of that mare. She's been very good to us and this one looks like she'll fit into that line as well.”

Disco Ebo, bred in Pennsylvania by St. Omer's Farm, worked a half-mile in 47.01 from the gate on May 19 at Parx and followed with another half-mile in 48.93 on May 26.

Reid Jr. said he will likely enter Susan C. Quack and Christopher J. Feifarek's Beren in Sunday's $100,000 Paradise Creek, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores on the Widener turf.

The Pennsylvania homebred captured the six-furlong Gold Fever last out on May 9 at Belmont. By Weigelia, Beren is out of the multiple graded stakes winning Diamond mare Silmaril.

On June 17, 2006, Weigelia set a then Belmont inner turf course record for six furlongs of 1:07.04 in an allowance optional-claiming event.

“Beren is doing very well and we're thinking about entering him in the Paradise Creek,” said Reid, Jr. “His father held the track record at six furlongs on the turf for a while, so we may come up this weekend and try him on the turf. If it rained off, that wouldn't hurt either.

“Both the father and mother turf,” added Reid, Jr. “The mother is out of a Diamond stallion and he gets nothing but turf horses. We have to try him on it before the summer is over, so we may as well try it now.”

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With trainer Butch Reid overseeing his string at Parx, his wife and assistant Ginny got an eyeful as Vequist was full of herself while galloping about 1 5/8 miles over the Keeneland main track.

“She was ready to do this today,” Ginny Reid said. “The breeze really woke her up. Every time you do something strong with her, she gets that much better. I'm really pleased with the way she went and how nice and relaxed she is after the gallop. She's doing very well.”

Owned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable, Vequist most recently finished second to fellow Juvenile Fillies contender Dayoutoftheoffice in the Frizette Oct. 10. Prior to that outing, the dark bay filly broke her maiden and became the first Grade 1 winner for her sire Nyquist when she blitzed the field by 9 ½ lengths in the seven-furlong Spinaway on Sept. 6.

The decision to go in the Spinaway off a runner-up outing in her career debut at Parx on July 29 was spurred in part by new additions to her ownership, but also by Reid's faith that the filly would get better as the distances got longer.

“Early on, there was a deal made where Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel bought into her and it was kind of their push to go ahead and get her in a Grade 1,” said Butch Reid, who won the 2011 Breeders' Cup Marathon with Afleet Again. “And we knew the further distances were what she was looking for. We ran her 4 ½ furlongs first time out and she wanted no part of that. At seven-eighths, she's just starting to get warmed up. I think it was more the distance than a lot of other things.”

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