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War Echo returns at Belmont
At that time, War Echo was among the top hopefuls for the Kentucky Oaks (G1), but she sustained an injury after the Silverbulletday that ruled her out for the spring and summer. She returned to the worktab in early August at Churchill, and she put the finishing touches on her preparations with a pair of six-furlong drills over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. War Echo, the 3-1 third choice on the morning line, will break from post 5 with regular rider Shaun Bridgmohan. The once-beaten Acronym has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in her stakes debut. A Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Bobby Frankel, the bay returned from a seven-month layoff to romp by 6 1/4 lengths in a second-level allowance at the Spa. Two starts back, she landed a Santa Anita maiden in January. Acronym is a full sister to the multiple Grade 2-placed Turn Away, who just missed when third in the First Flight H. (G2) at Belmont in June. Alan Garcia will once again team up with the three-year-old, who has drawn the rail. Malibu Prayer, the 5-2 second choice, is coming off three straight runner-up efforts in graded stakes. The Todd Pletcher filly was a remote second to Rachel Alexandra in the Mother Goose S. (G1), again a well-beaten second to Careless Jewel (Tapit) in the Delaware Oaks (G2), and a handily defeated second to Just Jenda in the Monmouth Oaks (G3). On Wednesday, Malibu Prayer reverts to a one-turn mile for the first time since her 13-length maiden romp at Aqueduct in April. The bay is tactically drawn on the outside with John Velazquez. Rounding out the field are Sharp Cat S. victress PAMONA BALL (Pleasantly Perfect), who has not raced since finishing sixth in the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) last December; recent Saratoga allowance winner DEVIL BY DESIGN (Medaglia d'Oro); and Demoiselle S. (G2) fourth AIN'T LOVE GRAND (Dixie Union), fourth in a Monmouth allowance in her belated sophomore bow.
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