War Echo returns at Belmont

War Echo was a Kentucky Oaks hopeful before being sidelined by injury (Lou Hodges Jr./Fair Grounds) Silverbulletday S. (G3) heroine WAR ECHO (Tapit), who has been sidelined since her good-looking score at Fair Grounds in February, will return to action in Wednesday's $65,000 Cat Chat S. for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park. The Steve Asmussen trainee will meet five rivals, including the Grade 1-placed MALIBU PRAYER (Malibu Moon) and smashing Saratoga allowance winner ACRONYM (Empire Maker). War Echo, a three-quarter sister to recent Forego S. (G1) victor Pyro (Pulpit), broke her maiden impressively at this track and one-mile trip last October. The chestnut rounded out her two-year-old campaign with a fourth in the Frizette S. (G1) and a distant third in the Golden Rod S. (G2), beaten a total of 12 lengths by Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). In her only start this season, War Echo rallied from well off the pace in the Silverbulletday, where she reeled in her Grade 3-winning stablemate Four Gifts (Even the Score) by 1 1/2 lengths. Another 7 3/4 lengths back in third was Just Jenda (Menifee), an eventual multiple Grade 3 winner herself.

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.