SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Echo Again will make his career debut for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen in Saturday’s seventh race at Saratoga Race Course – a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for juveniles.
Despite the name, the gray or roan colt is of no maternal relation to 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Echo Zulu, although both horses are by leading second-crop sire Gun Runner. A fourth-generation Winchell homebred, Echo Again is out of the dual-stakes placed Tapit mare Teardrop, who is a full-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Pyro, who won the 2009 Forego at the Spa.
Echo Again is a half-brother to graded-stakes placed Pneumatic, who finished fourth in the 2020 Belmont Stakes, and stakes-placed Costa Terra. He hails from the broodmare line of Carols Christmas – a blue hen mare for the Winchell family, who was claimed for $25,000 and produced graded stakes winners Olympio and Call Now as well as black type producing mare Carols Wonder.
David Fiske, racing and bloodstock advisor to Winchell Thoroughbreds, said Echo Again has been highly touted since pre-training at El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas – operated by Asmussen’s parents Keith and Marylin Asmussen. He has been regularly working in company with another talented Asmussen-trained and Winchell-owned colt Disarm, who broke his maiden by 6 1/4 lengths on August 4 at the Spa.
“He’s been working with Disarm so he can hang with him,” Fiske said. “He’s been pretty highly regarded ever since he was down in Laredo. So, we’ll see what he can do this week. He was an individual that, around Christmastime, was one of Steve’s favorites when he would go down to his parents in Laredo to look at all the yearlings. He always liked that colt. We’ve done well with that line over the years. Carols Christmas has got to be the most prolific $25,000 claim of all time”
Breaking from post 5 as the 9-5 morning line favorite, Echo Again will be ridden by Joel Rosario.
Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will saddle a pair of well-bred first time starters in Spinzar and Game Change.
Spinzar, owned by Gainesway Stable and LNJ Foxwoods, was a $450,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. A gray or roan son of Tapit, he is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Fleet of Gold, whose dam was 2006 Champion Older Female Fleet Indian. He also comes from the same family as 2018 Champion 2-Year-Old Game Winner.
Breaking from post 6 at 8-1 odds, Spinzar will be ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.
Allen Stable’s Game Change was bought for $850,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Gainesway. The son of Candy Ride is out of the Pulpit mare Sweet Corine – a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner Verrazano.
Game Change, 15-1, will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez from post 7.
NYRA Press Office
Photo: Horses break from the gate at Saratoga (NYRA/Coglianese)
