2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Echo Zulu gears up with five-furlong work
Echo Zulu, the clear-cut favorite for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, had her first of three scheduled works since being flown to California, going five furlongs in 1:02 last Friday at Santa Anita.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said early this week that Echo Zulu will work again Friday at Santa Anita before the Gun Runner filly is vanned Monday to Del Mar, site of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup, for a final breeze there.
Echo Zulu is listed as the 6-5 favorite for the Nov. 5 BC Juvenile Fillies on the latest line established by David Aragona of Daily Racing Form. No more than nine 2-year-old fillies are confirmed for the 1 1/16-mile race, with Juju’s Map, Hidden Connection, and Ain’t Easy next on the early odds line.
Echo Zulu, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing, has not been seriously threatened in winning her three starts by a combined 16 3/4 lengths, including the Grade 1 Spinaway and Grade 1 Frizette. She has the three highest Beyers in the prospective field – 92, 90, 90 – albeit all in one-turn races. Shortly after the Oct. 3 Frizette, Echo Zulu was flown to Santa Anita, where she has been training with the balance of Asmussen’s full contingent of Breeders’ Cup hopefuls.
Meanwhile, Hidden Connection was sharp in an Oct. 14 drill in company at Churchill Downs, getting five furlongs in 59.40 seconds in her second work since a 9 1/4-length victory in the Sept. 18 Pocahontas. The daughter of Connect will work again early Friday, said trainer Bret Calhoun.
Ain’t Easy and Electric Ride both went a half-mile Saturday at Santa Anita in their first works since finishing one-two in the Grade 1 Chandelier on Oct. 1. Ain’t Easy went in 48.80 seconds and Electric Ride went in 48.40.
From Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert said via text that a decision is still pending in regard to the BC status of Grace Adler, who worked a half-mile last Friday in a bullet 47.20 seconds in her first drill since a puzzling defeat in the Chandelier. Grace Adler won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante by 11 1/4 lengths before finishing fifth by 13 3/4 lengths as the 9-10 favorite in the Chandelier.
Quite a few fillies who fared respectably in key preps have been dropped from BC consideration, including Gerrymander, Distinctlypossible, A Mo Reay, Mama Rina, Eda, and Dream Lith. Also, Diamond Wow ran so well as the runner-up in the Oct. 13 Jessamine on the Keeneland turf that she is pointing instead to the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.