Echo Zulu favored in Acorn; faces tough foe in Matareya

ELMONT, N.Y. – Echo Zulu suffered her first career defeat in last month’s Kentucky Oaks, but she was hardly disgraced in a gritty performance that ultimately ended in a fourth-place finish.

After pressing a hot early pace in the 14-horse field, Echo Zulu didn’t give way until midstretch, finishing three lengths behind the winner, Secret Oath. Saturday, Echo Zulu will be heavily favored to return to the winner’s circle against just four other 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park.

The Acorn is run as a oneturn mile. Echo Zulu went 3 for 3 in one-turn races as part of her championship 2-year-old campaign, which included a 7 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Frizette going a mile here last October.

“I thought the scenario in the Kentucky Oaks was not in her favor and she ran on valiantly anyway,” said Steve Asmussen, trainer of Echo Zulu. “Obviously, extremely anxious to back her up to a one-turn mile on a track she’s won on.”

Echo Zulu appears to have come out of the Kentucky Oaks in good order, throwing in a bullet five-furlong move in 59.60 seconds as part of her preparation for the Acorn. In addition to being the most accomplished horse in the field, Echo Zulu looks to be the main speed.

“If Echo Zulu runs her race, everything will take care of itself,” said Asmussen, who is seeking his first win in the Acorn.

Joel Rosario rides Echo Zulu from the outside post.

Of the other four horses in the race, the one seemingly with the best chance to upset is Matareya. A daughter of Pioneerof the Nile trained by Brad Cox, Matareya has gone 3 for 3 this year, including victories in the Grade 3 Beaumont and Grade 2 Eight Belles, both races run at seven furlongs around one turn.

Cox has sent out others against Echo Zulu, including Girl With a Dream, who was eighth in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga; Juju’s Map, who finished second to Echo Zulu in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; and Turnerloose, who was fourth to her in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March.

“We’ve taken a couple of swings at her that didn’t work out,” Cox said. “We do have a good filly that’s here to face her. We think we found what our filly wants to do, keeping around one turn. We’re excited about it.”

The only negative for Cox is Matareya does her best running from off the pace and she will likely need someone to run early with Echo Zulu.

“We can’t let her cruise around there uncontested,” Cox said. “We’ll see who else is in there. We’re running to win, I call tell you that.”

Flavien Prat rides Matareya from post 2.

Dream Lith won the Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs last year as a 2-year-old. She was beaten 12 1/2 lengths by Echo Zulu in the Spinaway at Saratoga. Dream Lith, trained by Robertino Diodoro, is 0 or 3 this year, including a fifth-place finish in the Edgewood on turf in her most recent start.

Divine Huntress, trained by Graham Motion, is turning back to a one-turn mile after three two-turn stakes tries, including a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes three weeks ago. Her two wins from six starts both came at Parx Racing over the winter.

Inventing, trained by Todd Pletcher, is a maiden who has finished second in both of her starts, most recently going a mile at Churchill Downs. A Grade 1 stakes placing seems to be the goal in this spot.

The Acorn, with a five-horse field and arguably the most prohibitive favorite on the card, goes as race 3 (12:33 p.m. post).