Eclipse Award winner Echo Zulu makes first start of season in Winning Colors
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A special holiday Monday card at Churchill Downs will showcase a special horse. Eclipse Award champion Echo Zulu, who has never been worse than second around one turn, highlights the field for the Grade 3, $225,000 Winning Colors Stakes for fillies and mares going six furlongs.
Echo Zulu, a daughter of Gun Runner trained by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing, was cross-entered in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint Stakes Monday at Lone Star. However, with the Winning Colors going with a field of six, she will remain at her Churchill Downs base. The multiple Grade 1 winner is the standout in the field, which also includes stakes winners Last Leaf, Marissa’s Lady, and Spirit Wind.
Echo Zulu, 4, won all four starts at 2, including the Grade 1 Spinaway at seven furlongs, the Grade 1 Frizette at a one-turn mile, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at 1 1/16 miles to lock up the divisional Eclipse. She opened her 3-year-old season with another two-turn win, taking the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose. After she was a game fourth in the Kentucky Oaks, the remainder of her campaign was delayed after she was a vet scratch at the gate for the Grade 1 Acorn.
After a freshening, Echo Zulu returned last September, winning the Grade 3 Dogwood at seven furlongs at Churchill Downs. She was second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland.
After her winter off, Echo Zulu returned to the work tab March 27 at Asmussen’s winter base at Fair Grounds, and has been in a steady pattern all spring at Churchill. She has picked up the pace in her three most recent moves, all at five furlongs, and looks to have a solid base to begin her season. Echo Zulu, who prefers to be forwardly placed, breaks from post 5 with Florent Geroux aboard.
Last Leaf, trained by Eddie Kenneally, has a recency edge on Echo Zulu, having made three starts this year. A stakes winner at Gulfstream and Ellis last year, she was most recently second in the Roxelana Stakes a month ago at Churchill, beaten three-quarters of a length by the accomplished Frank’s Rockette.
Marissa’s Lady is a four-time stakes winner. Three of those stakes wins came on the Tapeta at Turfway, but she also won the Fern Circle at Churchill as a juvenile. Trained by William Morey, she has not raced since finishing fifth in the Blue Sparkler last July on the Monmouth turf.
The second choice behind 4-5 Echo Zulu on the morning line is Fire On Time, who is 4 for 5 at Churchill. Fire On Time finished third in the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream in January, and then was sixth in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie there. She bounced back with a six-length allowance-optional claiming win on May 12 at Churchill.
Spirit Wind, likely to break on top from the rail, has never been worse than second in six career starts. Last year, she won a stakes against Florida-breds and was second in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney to champion Ce Ce. Spirit Wind won an allowance/optional claiming sprint at Gulfstream about two months ago in her only start this year.
Scarlet Stripe, second in a Churchill allowance last out, completes the field.
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