Echo Zulu holds off Hidden Connection in Fair Grounds Oaks
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Coming off a 141-day layoff and without having been totally cranked up, the undefeated champion filly Echo Zulu may have been at her most vulnerable in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks.
And they still couldn’t beat her. Though they came close.
After making all the pace under Joel Rosario - and a solid pace it was, at that - Echo Zulu held off a hard-trying Hidden Connection to win the Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose. Hidden Connection, who raced three- to four-wide throughout, finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Favor. Turneherloose, Sequist and Bernabreezy completed the order of finish.
The victory kept Echo Zulu unbeaten in five starts. At 2, she won the Spinaway, Frizette and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies _ and all Grade 1 stakes _ and was a near unanimous choice for the Eclipse Award as North America’s champion 2-year-old filly.
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Trainer Steve Asmussen gave the filly a well-deserved break. Echo Zulu returned to the worktab on Feb. 8 and had seven works coming into the Fair Grounds Oaks.
Breaking from the rail under Joel Rosario, Echo Zulu broke on top and maintained a one length advantage over Turnerloose, the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra winner, and Favor, a winner of two straight, through a quarter in 23.79 seconds and a half-mile in 47.68 seconds. Hidden Connection, under Reylu Gutierrez, was three deep in a close fourth before advancing into second around the turn.
In the stretch, Rosario shook Echo Zulu up and it looked like she would hold Hidden Connection at bay. But Rosario said Echo Zulu did begin to tire and Hidden Connection was coming, but the wire came up first.
“She got a little tired there at the end, but she got the job done,” Rosario said. “She’s a tremendous horse.”
Echo Zulu covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.69 and returned $2.20 as the heavy favorite. Echo Zulu was given an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Barely made the race, barely won the race,’” a seemingly relieved Asmussen said in a post-race interview broadcast on Fair Grounds’ simulcast feed. “Can’t say enough how proud I am. Her 2-year-old season, three Grade 1s, asked a lot of her. Gave her a very necessary break. She came back in doing well and proved to be narrowly best today. Very emotional win because how much the filly means to us.”
Echo Zulu is a daughter of Gun Runner, whom Asmussen trained to a Horse of the Year title in 2017 for Ron Winchell, who owns Echo Zulu along with the L and N Racing of Lee Levinson, his sons Andy and Michael, and Don Nelson.
Asmussen said Echo Zulu will head to Churchill Downs on Monday to begin to prepare for the Kentucky Oaks on May 6.
Hidden Connection, who won the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs by 9 1/4 lengths last September, likely earned herself a spot in the Oaks with Saturday’s performance.