Steve Asmussen knew someone was going to be the first trainer to win a grade 1 stakes with a Gun Runner offspring, so he figured why not him.
He does have an emotional attachment to Three Chimneys Farm's first-crop stallion after training the 2017 Horse of the Year and handling him through six grade 1 wins and $15.9 million in earnings.
Helping in that regard is that Asmussen just so happens to have several talented Gun Runner youngsters, including one very fleet filly who will always be attached to her sire.
On a Sept. 5 afternoon filled with intermittent rain, Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu gave Asmussen the distinction of training Gun Runner's first grade 1 winner as she motored to a four-length victory in the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.
"I can't measure how much I wanted to have Gun Runner's first grade 1 winner," Asmussen said. "Obviously, he's a tremendous sire but somebody had to be first and I'm glad it was us."
With 10 winners in North America to his credit already, Gun Runner had previously been represented in the winner's circle after graded stakes by Pappacap (Best Pal Stakes, G2) and the Asmussen-trained Wicked Halo (Adirondack Stakes, G2). Zulu Echo, out of the Menifee mare Letgomyecho, took it to a new level of success.
"Gun Runner is off to one of the best starts ever," said owner Michael Levinson of L and N Racing. "There's nothing else you can say about it."
More might be said Sept. 6 when Pappacap runs in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Asmussen sends out Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Miller Lite (G2) runner-up Gunite in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at the Spa. But for now, the talk involved a scintillating win by Echo Zulu and a foursome of grade 1 wins at the Spa for her trainer.
About 24 hours after Asmussen collected his third grade 1 win at the meet with Max Player in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), he added more gold to the trophy case with Echo Zulu.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "We have great horses and have unbelievable opportunities, like having a 2-year-old filly like her. What can you say? Setting (the all-time record for wins) here on Whitney Day. That's pretty good timing from 31 years back. It's divine intervention."
For Levinson, it marked consecutive years with grade 1 wins at Saratoga with a foal by Letgomyecho, as he also won the 2020 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) with the Asmussen-trained Echo Town (Speightstown ), Zulu Echo's half brother.
"To have back-to-back grade 1 winners at Saratoga out of the same mare," Levinson said, "it's hard to describe."
Zulu Echo's victory was rather easy to describe as she overcame bobbling at the start, grabbed the lead to run a quarter-mile in :22.07, and continued to pour it on. Through fractions of :44.73 and 1:09.50, the 3-5 favorite ($3.30) maintained that advantage and then widened the margin over runner-up Tarabi in the final furlong while crossing the wire under Ricardo Santana Jr. in 1:22.51 to remain unbeaten after two starts.
"To jump from a maiden to a grade 1 off one race going your way is not easy and it takes a special horse to do it, and maybe that's what she is," Asmussen said. "She is all class. (Today's race) was beautiful. It's impossible not to think (about the next race) but that looks like an effort that would translate to the Frizette (G1) to me and pretty good bridge to the (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, G1)," Asmussen said while mentioning the mile Frizette Stakes Oct 3 at Belmont Park as a likely next start for her.
Previously a 5 1/2-length maiden special weight winner on opening day at the Spa, Echo Zulu was bought by Winchell Thoroughbreds for $300,000 from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Bred by Betz, J. Betz, Burns, CHNNHK, Magers, CoCo Equine, and Ramsby, she became the fourth of Letgomyecho's 11 foals to race to become either a graded stakes winner or graded stakes placed. The 19-year-old mare also has an American Pharoah yearling filly who is entered in the upcoming Keeneland September sale.
LBD Stable, Manganaro Bloodstock, and David Ingordo's Tarabi, a daughter of First Samurai trained by Cherie DeVaux, was a clear second by 3 3/4 lengths over owner/trainer James Chapman and Stuart Tsujimoto's Saucy Lady T, a Tonalist filly who was eighth in the field of nine in the early stages.
"I'm really pleased with her effort," DeVaux said of Tarabi. "Stepping up into grade 1 company off a win at Ellis Park is a tall task and she was just so professional and handled everything well. I'm not sure how far she wants to go. A mile might be too far for her."
Schuylerville Stakes (G3) winner Pretty Birdie, the 7-2 second choice, was eased in the stretch but was able to walk back to the barn.
