7th-Oaklawn, $103,000, Alw, 3-30, (NW1RX), 3yo, 1m, 1:37.94, ft, 1 1/4 lengths.
ECHO AGAIN (c, 3, Gun Runner–Teardrop {SP}, by Tapit) earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with a commanding 6 3/4-length debut win at Saratoga last summer. Tested for class, he faded to seventh in the GIII Iroquois S. against a stacked field led by Curly Jack (Good Magic), Jace's Road (Quality Road), and Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}). Third in the Remington Springboard Mile S. to cap his juvenile season, he returned to be sixth after setting the pace early in the GIII Lecomte S. behind Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro). With the advantage of Lasix for the first time Thursday, Echo Again let Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) handle work at the front, taking back to be third as Western Ghent (American Pharoah) kept that pacesetter honest. Inching closer into the far turn as the speed began to grow weary, he took over with a three-wide move at the top of the lane and came home nicely, holding off a closing El Tomate (Runhappy) to win by 1 1/4 lengths as 4-5 chalk. Teardrop, herself a full-sister to G1SP Farrier and GSW War Echo as well as a half to GI Forego S. winner Pyro (Pulpit), has already produced Pneumatic (Uncle Mo), SW & GSP, $275,390. She has a 2-year-old Copper Bullet filly named Copperdrop and foaled a full-brother to Echo Again last year before returning to Gun Runner for 2023. Lifetime Record: SP, 5-2-0-1, $168,175. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
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