Kentucky-bred Echo Zulu left little doubt who was best in the 72nd running of the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park Oct. 3, winning the one-mile event by 7 ¼ lengths to remain undefeated and untested.
Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing, Echo Zulu entered the Frizette off a pair of impressive wins. She broke her maiden by 5 ½ lengths on debut at Saratoga July 15 and followed that in-hand score with a four-length tally in the Spinaway Stakes (G1).
Echo Zulu led the Frizette from start to finish, setting early fractions of :22.38, :45.98, and 1:10.40. She bounded home without ever being threatened. In capturing the Frizette as she pleased in a final time of 1:35.12 under Ricardo Santana, Echo Zulu earned a berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.
“I felt like I was walking, how she was doing it,” said Santana. “She was really impressive for a 2-year-old. I had a lot of horse. I never needed to ask her; that’s how much horse I had.”
Echo Zulu, who now boasts earnings of $440,000 and is perfect in three lifetime starts, became the first filly to turn the Spinaway-Frizette double since Michael Tabor’s Adieu in 2005.
“It’s amazing. She’s a special filly and she’s by Gun Runner,” said winning training Steve Asmussen who also trained Gun Runner. “How much better can it get? She’s better than good.”
Bred in the Bluegrass by Betz/J.Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby, Echo Zulu is out of the Menifee mare Letgomyecho. She is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Echo Town and she was acquired by her connections for $300,000 from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.