SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Echo Again, a fourth-generation Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred, was superb in his Saturday career debut, breaking his maiden by 6 3/4 lengths in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Gun Runner led through every point of call, extending his advantage throughout and completing the distance in a final time of 1:15.80. The win garnered a 94 Beyer Speed Figure – the second highest figure for a 2-year-old this year.
“We thought he was good, but I’m not sure any of us were expecting the performance he put in yesterday,” said David Fiske, racing and bloodstock advisor to Winchell Thoroughbreds. “That was eye-popping. I talked to [owner] Ron [Winchell] about three times yesterday and I told him, ‘I don’t know what you want me to tell you because I’m speechless.’”
Fiske spoke high volumes of Gun Runner, who also was owned by Winchell and trained by Asmussen. The leading second crop sire has been highly prolific for his former connections who have campaigned last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Echo Zulu, and Grade 1 winner Gunite among others.
“They just don’t stop. The mantra from Steve last year when talking to jockeys was, ‘Just don’t give up on them, keep going’,” Fiske said. “You kind of see that in some of Gunite’s performances, and the two we’ve run up there this year. They run through the wire and look like they want to go further. They’re an impressive bunch.”
Echo Again is out of the Tapit mare Teardrop, a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Pyro. His fourth dam is Carols Christmas who was claimed for $25,000 and has become a prolific blue hen mare for the Winchell family.
“Carols Christmas – the gift that keeps on giving,” Fiske said. “The best $25,000 claim in the history of $25,000 claims. We’ve been living off her DNA for decades. It’s just amazing.”
Fiske said Echo Again’s next start is yet to be determined with the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November at Keeneland as the long term goal.
“I think [Asmussen] is still thinking about it. He came out of the race great and was doing super this morning,” Fiske said. “I think all options are on the table and when you have one break their maiden like that, you start to think backwards from the Breeders’ Cup. Wherever he can run that gives him the best opportunity for prep for the Breeders’ Cup will probably be where he ends up.”
NYRA Press Office
Photo: Echo Again impressive on debut (NYRA/Coglianese)
