Echo Zulu All Heart in Narrow Fair Grounds Oaks Score

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen has trained some of the greatest racehorses of the last two decades but was left in utter admiration of the undefeated Echo Zulu following her brave victory in the $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. "She's a worthy champion. And just a blessing to be around," said Asmussen. "I'm emotional because of how wonderful it is to be a part of it. Everything she did for us last year. She left the gates, stuck her ears up, and when they came to her, she ran. She's a racehorse." Virtually unchallenged in all four of her prior starts, the daughter of Gun Runner showed heart on the track Saturday—digging deep to repel a bold late bid from Hidden Connection in the final strides of the Fair Grounds Oaks. She prevailed by a nose, keeping her flawless record intact and launching to the top of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 130 points. Appearing fresh, dancing on her toes in the saddling paddock in her first appearance since the Nov. 5 NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Echo Zulu had her trainer admittedly nervous before her long-awaited 3-year-old debut. The pressure was further mounted on the connections of the star filly as the public bet her down as the 1-9 favorite despite facing two formidable rivals in Hidden Connection and Turnerloose. "(Echo Zulu) needs to relax today," Asmussen told TVG in an interview as the field of six entered the track. "She needs to conserve her energy, there's plenty of pace to go with her. She's not going to sneak up on anybody; they all know who she is." Echo Zulu sprang from the gates like she hadn't missed a beat, rolling to the front under regular pilot Joel Rosario. Turnerloose, the gallant winner of the Feb. 19 Rachel Alexandra Stakes presented by Fasig-Tipton, raced just behind the champion with Hidden Connection and Favor jostling for third and fourth position down the backstretch. The L & N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' colorbearer set a sprightly pace of :23.79 and :47.68, ears pricked as she cruised into the final turn for home. Around the bend, jockey Reylu Gutierrez angled Hidden Connection three-wide into the lane, and after putting away Favor and Turnerloose, she charged relentlessly after Echo Zulu, who held a length margin over her foes midway down the stretch. Rosario went to work on the tiring Echo Zulu inside the eighth pole, as no doubt the effects of the four-month layoff began to creep up late on the filly as she fought to maintain her advantage over the oncoming Hidden Connection. Responding with everything she had, Echo Zulu inched out Hidden Connection, stopping the timer in 1:42.69 for 1 1/16-miles on a fast track. The final time was only three ticks off Olympiad's track record (1:42.01) set in winning the Mineshaft Stakes (G3) earlier in the meet. "(Echo Zulu) got a little tired but she got the job done," said Rosario after the race. "She's a tremendous horse. She's a fighter and she likes to run." Hidden Connection finished 2 1/4-lengths clear of Favor in third. Turnerloose faded to fourth. A graded stakes winner as a 2-year-old, Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds' Hidden Connection was making her second start since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She had previously checked in fourth behind Turnerloose in the Rachel Alexandra after leading in early stretch and weakening. "We're very happy with her effort (today)," said trainer Bret Calhoun. "Obviously it's disappointing to get beat by such a short margin but credit to Echo Zulu, she was at a bit of a disadvantage with the layoff. I thought today was the day we were going to beat her. We just have to find a little bit more (going forward) because obviously Echo Zulu is going to improve off this effort. But this was a big move forward for us today. It's a race we needed to see. And she will move forward off this. The timing is very good going to the Oaks." In the first 170-point Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep of the spring, Hidden Connection earned 40 points while Favor earned 20 and Turnerloose picked up 10. Bred in Kentucky by Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby, Echo Zulu ($2.20) increased her earnings to $1.72 million with her Fair Grounds Oaks victory. She was purchased by Winchell Thoroughbreds for $300,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when offered by the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment. Echo Zulu is out of the grade 2-winning Menifee mare Letgomyecho and is a half sister to grade 1-winning sprinter Echo Town (Speightstown) and grade 3 winner J Boys Echo (Mineshaft). The youngest produce of Letgomyecho is the 2-year-old American Pharoah colt named Doing Justice, who sold for $1.4 million last year at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale to Northshore Bloodstock.