Ends Layoff with Two-Length Victory in Sophomore Season Debut
BALTIMORE – Gabriel Duignan’s Echo Sound, who had a three-race win streak snapped in her prior start, rebounded sharply in her season debut to become a graded-stakes winner at first asking in Friday’s $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) presented by Pepsico at Pimlico Race Course.
The 40th running of the six-furlong Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies was the third of six stakes, three graded, worth $1.05 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day program headlined by the 100th edition of the 1 1/8-mile fixture for sophomore fillies.
Echo Sound ($9.80) covered the distance over a fast main track in 1:11.14 to give jockey Luis Saez and trainer George ‘Rusty’ Arnold II their first win in the Miss Preakness. It was two lengths back to 25-1 longshot You’ll Be Back with Hollygrove, sent off at 23-1, another three-quarters of a length back in third.
G W’s Girl, Mila Rose, High Paf, Not Too Late, Stunner, Volleyballprincess, Delray and Family completed the order of finish. Long Neck Paula and Vodka With a Twist were scratched.
Saez kept Echo Sound in the clear four wide as Hollygrove set the pace with a 22.95-second opening quarter-mile chased by G W’s Girl and Family. You’ll Be Back moved into a challenging position along the inside after a half in 46.64, but neither she nor the leader were a match for Echo Sound’s powerful far outside move that saw the bay daughter of Echo Town roll through the stretch and win while geared down.
Echo Sound graduated in debut Aug 3 at Ellis Park and then notched wins in an optional claimer and the six-furlong Myrtlewood, the latter at Keeneland, before wrapping up her juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish in the 6 ½-furlong Fern Creek Nov. 30, her most recent start.
$150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) Quotes
Winning Trainer Rusty Arnold (Echo Sound) — “She’s very nice. We loved her when she got beat. We had to stop on her. She came up with a little problem and got the winter off. We’re pretty happy with her.”
“She trained good. We were worried about the racetrack. Ended up lucky and got a fast racetrack. I loved the way she broke running. Luis let her settle back. You always worry you don’t have her fit enough. But she was fit enough.”
“We were worried about the racetrack, and if it got real bad we weren’t going to run. But we got what we wanted accomplished today.
(Note: Goal now is Saratoga’s Grade 1 Test.)
Winning Jockey Luis Saez (Echo Sound) — “She broke pretty well. I knew she was going to be a little bit sharp. We decided to take her off the speed. I knew they were going to go pretty quick, so that was the best thing for her. I knew she was pretty fit. He was working her pretty nice. [Rusty Arnold] didn’t give me any instructions. He told me, ‘You know how to ride her. You know her. Do what you want to.’”
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez (You’ll Be Back, 2nd) – “She broke good from the 11 post so I put her in the race early. I was trying to save ground at the beginning. I was following Johnny V. all the way around. When the outside horse started moving, I knew we had to go now because I didn’t want to get covered up and stuck. She ran a great race and finished up well.”
Trainer Whitworth Beckham (Hollygrove, 3rd) — “She ran really well. That was not the trip we wanted. We thought there would be a little more speed and we would kind of get covered up by it. Being on the rail, on the lead, Johnny said the rail was not the best spot to be, but I was very happy with the effort. I’m glad we came. She was training absolutely phenomenally back home (Kentucky) and I said it was absolutely worth a shot.”
Jockey John Velazquez (Hollygrove, 3rd) – “I had a pretty good trip. I really didn’t think I was going to inherit the lead, but I came out running just in case and we did inherit the lead. It was Post 1, a tough position, but she handled it pretty well. I thought we might hang on until deep stretch but she still ran good.”
Trainer Brad Cox (Beaten Favorite Stunner, 8th) – “Didn’t like the kickback at all. Behind a wall and just didn’t run, didn’t respond very well to the kickback. We’ll regroup.”