Echo Sound, a promising 3-year-old filly by Echo Town, delivered an impressive performance to capture the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Overcoming a nearly six-month layoff, the Gabriel Duignan-owned bay surged in the stretch to win by a decisive two lengths under jockey Luis Saez.
The race, contested over six furlongs on a fast dirt track, saw Echo Sound break sharply and briefly show early speed before Saez skillfully settled her off the quick early pace. As Hollygrove set the initial fractions of :22.95 for the quarter-mile and :46.14 for the half-mile, pressed by G W’s Girl and Family, Echo Sound stalked the leaders from a wide position.
Approaching the stretch, Echo Sound launched a powerful four-wide move, engaging the front-runners. Hollygrove battled gamely, and You’ll Be Back made a strong rail-rallying bid. However, Echo Sound proved too strong, forging to the command outside rivals inside the three-sixteenths pole and kicking clear in the final sixteenth to finish in a time of 1:11.14.
Longshot You’ll Be Back, at 29-1 odds, finished a game second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Hollygrove, who held on for third. The remaining order of finish was G W’s Girl, Mila Rose, High Paf, Not Too Late, Stunner, Volleyballprincess, Delray, and Family.
The victory marked Echo Sound’s first graded stakes win and her fourth win in five career starts. Trained by George “Rusty” Arnold II, the filly had concluded her 2-year-old campaign with a second-place finish in the Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs. Arnold had initially hoped to bring her back in the Eight Belles Stakes but a minor setback delayed her return.
Winning jockey Luis Saez praised the filly’s performance, stating, “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. She felt much better and more mature.” [00:03:48, 00:03:54, 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 7.1, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3] Saez added, “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.'”
Trainer Rusty Arnold, who watched from Kentucky, was pleased with the outcome, crediting Saez with an intelligent ride.
“She’s very nice. We loved her when she got beat [last time]. We had to stop on her. She came up with a little problem and got the winter off. We’re pretty happy with her,” Arnold commented. “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.”
Assistant trainer Lyndsay Buttice also expressed confidence in the filly: “We knew it was a lot to ask of her coming off of a layoff, but, we think very highly of her and felt confident based on the way she has been training. She’s really developed physically coming into her 3-year-old year.”
Echo Sound, bred in Kentucky by Springhouse Farm, Vision TBs, and Bruce and Patricia Pieratt, is a daughter of Echo Town out of Eagle Sound, by Fusaichi Pegasus. This win boosted her career earnings to $363,745.
Looking ahead, Arnold indicated that the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga on August 2 is the ultimate goal for Echo Sound, with her next start likely to be in the Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes at Saratoga on July 3.
The Miss Preakness Stakes was the 10th race on a card that featured cloudy weather and temperatures around 86 degrees. The purse for the Grade 3 event was $150,000 Guaranteed. Echo Sound returned $9.80 to win.
Scratched Horse(s): Long Neck Paula (Trainer), Vodka With a Twist (Trainer)
Fractional Times: 22.95, 46.14, 58.49
Final Time: 1:11.14
Winning Connections
Winner: Echo Sound
Jockey: Luis Saez
Trainer: George R. Arnold II
Owner: Gabriel Duignan
Breeder: Springhouse Farm, Vision TBs, Bruce Pieratt & Patricia Pieratt
Bloodline: Bay Filly, by Echo Town out of Eagle Sound, by Fusaichi Pegasus. Foaled Jan 29, 2022 in Kentucky
Echo Town stands at Ashford Stud, in Versailles, KY ($5,000 Live Foal / Stands & Nurses)
Payouts
| No. | Horse | Win | Place | Show |
| 8 | Echo Sound | 9.80 | 5.60 | 4.60 |
| 11 | You’ll Be Back | 20.40 | 11.20 | |
| 1 | Hollygrove | 8.20 |
- $1 EXACTA (8-11) Paid: $93.70
- $1 SUPERFECTA (8-11-1-4) Paid: $6,026.00
- $1 TRIFECTA (8-11-1) Paid: $1,096.30
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