Echo Again, Giant Mischief top contenders in nine-horse Springboard Mile

Dec 15, 2022 James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Eclipse Award-winning trainers Steve Asmussen and Brad Cox
will be well-represented in Saturday night’s $400,000 Remington Springboard
Mile. Asmussen will send out 9-5 morning line favorite Echo Again, and Cox has 3-1 second choice Giant Mischief.

Nine are set for the Road to the Kentucky Derby series
qualifier, which will award points on a 10-4-3-2-1 basis, and Echo Again and
Giant Mischief were among the individual betting interests in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager in late November, closing at 45-1 and 27-1,
respectively.

Echo Again, a gray son of sensational young sire Gun Runner,
recorded arguably the most impressive two-year-old maiden win during the 2022
Saratoga session, romping by 6 3/4 lengths at first asking in mid-August. He
experienced a rough trip and weakened to seventh as the odds-on favorite in the
Iroquois (G3) next out, but looked much better when returning in a two-turn
allowance at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30. The race wound up being canceled due
to a fallen rider, but Echo Again appeared on his way to an easy win before
being notified by outriders. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride the Winchell
Thoroughbreds homebred colt.

Giant Mischief, a $475,000 yearling purchase by Into
Mischief, rallied to win his first start going away at Horseshoe Indianapolis
in late September. The bay colt stepped up with a sterling performance on the
Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Friday undercard at Keeneland, offering a sharp turn of
foot off the far turn to overtake odds-on Arabian Lion, smartly winning the
seven-furlong allowance by about a length, and the unbeaten youngster
registered a 99 Brisnet Speed rating. Giant Mischief will stretch to two turns
with Florent Geroux.

Other contenders include local stakes winners Campfire Creed and Wildatlanticstorm. Campfire Creed, winner of the six-furlong Kip
Deville two back and a nose second as the favorite in the seven-furlong Clever
Trevor, is listed at 5-1 with Gerardo Mora. Wildatlanticstorm, winner of the
Clever Trevor and second in the Kip Deville, is pegged at 6-1 with Leandro Goncalves.

Last-out allowance scorer Lil Sweet Thang and debut maiden winner Gunflash, a son of Gun Runner, are also entered.