Tag: Steve Asmussen

Echo Zulu Much The Best In Winning Colors

No stranger to layoffs, champion 2-year-old filly and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) made her first start of 2023 a winning one with a runaway score in Churchill's GIII Winning Colors S. On the sidelines since a game second to 2022 champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, she returned to the races in this six-furlong sprint–the shortest distance she's ever raced–without missing a beat, looking every bit the 3-10 favorite.

Sharp from an outside gate, Echo Zulu went out in the search of the early lead but had to contend with an equally speedy Fire On Time (Not This Time) on her outer flank. The pair quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field while working through quick early fractions of :21.75 and :44.62. Neither mare giving an inch around the far turn, Echo Zulu found herself briefly on the back foot as Fire On Time stuck a head in front with a quarter-mile to run. But Echo Zulu responded in kind to a shake of the reins from Florent Geroux, drew alongside her rival, and went on right on past, contesting the final furlong alone and hitting the wire clear by daylight while geared down.

“I'm very grateful for the owners of this very talented filly [L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds] and [trainer] Steve Asmussen,” said the winning jockey. “She broke really well today and took herself right to the front. We had some pressure on her outside but she was traveling very comfortably the entire race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Part of the wildly successful first crop of Breeders' Cup champion and Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Echo Zulu is a daughter of GII Stonerside Forward Gal winner Letgomyecho, the dam of no fewer than eight other winners including GISW 'TDN Rising Star' and sire Echo Town (Speightstown), GSW J Boys Echo (Mineshaft), and GSP Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song). Letgomyecho herself is a half-sister to the dams of GIII Ohio Derby victor Dean Martini (Cairo Prince), GSW Western Smoke (Smoke Glacken) and GISP One Lucky Dane (Lookin At Lucky). Echo Zulu's youngest sibling, the now 3-year-old Doing Justice (American Pharoah), brought a final bid of $1.4 million from Northshore Bloodstock at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale.

Monday, Churchill Downs
WINNING COLORS S.-GIII, $223,250, Churchill Downs, 5-29, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:08.99, ft.
1–ECHO ZULU, 118, f, 4, 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
($300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. 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-Florent Geroux. $139,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly, MGISW, 9-7-1-0, $2,255,375. *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 or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fire On Time, 118, m, 5, Not This Time–Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again. ($95,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-Jorge S. Wagner (KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $45,000.
3–Last Leaf, 118, f, 4, Not This Time–My Miss Kallie, by Paddy O'Prado. ($7,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $10,000 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $23,500 Ylg '20 OBSOCT). O-Monarch Stables, Inc.; B-Khalid Mishref Alkahtani (KY); T-Eddie Kenneally. $22,500.
Margins: 5 3/4, 1, HD. Odds: 0.31, 7.62, 7.55.
Also Ran: Spirit Wind, Marissa's Lady. Scratched: Scarlet Stripe.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Red Route One Breezes Towards Belmont

Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Red Route One (Gun Runner), beaten just under five lengths when fourth to National Treasure (Quality Road) in the GI Preakness S. May 20, worked an easy half-mile in :50.85 at Belmont Park Monday morning as he readies for his next start in the GI Belmont S. Presented by NYRA Bets June 10.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, who conditioned Creator (Tapit) to victory in the 2016 renewal, the chestnut worked on his own and NYRA clockers caught him galloping out five furlongs in 1:04.

“It was good, he seems like he got something out of it,” said Toby Sheets, Asmussen's Belmont-based assistant.

Third to 'TDN Rising Star' and future champion Forte (Violence) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at two, Red Route One was runner-up in the GIII Southwest S. and GII Rebel S., but was only sixth in the GI Arkansas Derby. He was victorious in the Bath House Row S. Apr. 22 and went for an early move at Old Hilltop while racing handier than is his custom and finished evenly.

 

 

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Frosted Filly Sharp in Churchill Debut

3rd-Churchill Downs, $118,574, Msw, 5-26, 2yo, f, 5f, :58.89, ft, 2 lengths.
SHARP TUNE (f, 2, Frosted–Classy Tune {MSP, $135,504}, by Maclean's Music) made easy work of her debut with an impressive wire-to-wire score as the public's 4-5 favorite. The bay filly broke smartly from her inside post position and went right to the front, easily opening up on the field behind her with Intermittent (Bernardini) closest and stalking to her outside. Sharp Tune extended her lead as she rounded the bend and widened off even more into the stretch, opening up several lengths under vigorous handling and holding off the late challenging Foolish Front Fifi (Coal Front) to win by two at the wire. She is the second foal and first winner out of her multiple stakes-placed dam, who also produced an unnamed yearling colt by Violence and a filly by Hard Spun this year. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000.
O/B-Douglas Scharbauer (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Bolt d’Oro Colt Slow To Go, But Breezes Home on Churchill Debut

2nd-Churchill Downs, $114,375, Msw, 5-25, 2yo, 5f, :59.04, ft, 4 lengths.
GO OTTO GO (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro–Court Dancer {SW, $483,751}, by War Chant) was sent away at odds just shy of 2-1 for his debut run and overcame a bit of a sluggish beginning from the inside stall to graduate by four lengths Thursday. Off about a half-step slowly, the $42,000 Keeneland November buyback turned $180,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchase was forced to steady off the heels of pacesetting second-timer Suga Steve (Goldencents), but was athletic enough to re-engage to that one's outside entering the turn. More or less on even terms as they raced around the bend, the dark bay was asked for his best in upper stretch by Florent Geroux, opened an unassailable advantage into the final eighth of a mile and proved a handy winner under only mild encouragement. Beaudacious Colton (Race Day), already a veteran of two prior starts, ran on nicely for second. New York-bred Court Dancer was purchased by Sun Valley Farm for $50,000 in foal to Connect at KEENOV in 2018 and Go Otto Go is her second winner from as many to the races. From the family of GI New York S. victress Fourstar Crook (Freud), Go Otto Go has a yearling half-sister by McKinzie that made $100,000 at KEENOV last fall and Court Dancer was most recently served by Tacitus. Sales history: $42,000 RNA Wlg '21 KEENOV; $180,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000.
O-Three Chimneys Farm; B-Sun Valley Farm (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen.

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