Ecton Park also won the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds at 3, and the William Donald Schaefer Handicap at Pimlico at 4. Prior to his effort at Pimlico, he finished fifth behind Dubai Millennium in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I). He suffered an injury in last year's Woodward Stakes and was retired earlier this year after re-aggravated the injury in the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (gr. II).Bred in Kentucky by Edward A. Cox Jr., Ecton Park is from the last North American crop of Forty Niner.
John Greely IV and C. Beau Greely, owners of Wintergreen Stallion Station near Midway, Ky., announced Wednesday that the first-year stud fee for Ecton Park will be $15,000 live foal, payable Nov. 1."He was set to enter stud for $20,000," John Greely said. "However, economic and industry trends and America's tragedy at the hands of terrorists, combined with Kentucky's mare reproductive loss syndrome, made us think that the $15,000 fee will give our fellow breeders a better profit option.Ecton Park, a son of Forty Niner out of the Danzig mare Daring Danzig, earned $1,503,825 while racing for Mark Stanley. Trained by Elliott Walden, Ecton Park won the 1 1/4-mile Super Derby (gr. I) and 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) as a 3-year-old in 1999.