Tepin Airs in First Lady, BC Mile Next

Robert Masterson's Tepin put her sheer brilliance on display Oct. 3 at Keeneland, destroying 10 rivals in the $400,000 First Lady Stakes (gr. IT) when she aired by seven lengths.

Trainer Mark Casse said the 4-year-old Bernstein filly will next face the boys in the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) at the Lexington track.

Tepin came off two tough beats—by a head in the Aug. 29 Ballston Spa (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course and by a nose in the Diana (gr. IT) there July 25—to finally demolish her competition with an emphatic victory under jockey Julien Leparoux in 1:37.04 on soft going for the mile turf test. Crowley's Law finished second, while My Miss Sophia ran third.

"She was fired up today; she went a little wild in the paddock and stepped on my toe," Casse said. "But I told Julien when I put him up, 'She's on her game.' She was impressive. We'll probably go to the Breeders' Cup Mile."

Tepin rated just off the pace set by frontrunner Cara Marie, and was second by two lengths as three-quarters went in 1:13.69 after a quarter in :24.38 and a half in :48.90. She took over command early in the stretch and drew off late under a hand ride, finishing seven-eighths in 1:25.25 en route to victory.

"That's a nice filly. Today she relaxed beautifully and finished strong. That's it. It was done very quickly," Leparoux said. "There's going to be more pace in the Breeders' Cup, but if she runs the way she did today, she fits in there for sure."

Tepin, favored at odds of 8-5, returned $5.40, $4, and $3, while Crowley's Law brought $5.40 and $3.40 with My Miss Sophia paying $3.60. Outstanding, Cara Marie, Sky Treasure, She's Not Here, Easter, Kiss Moon, Solid Appeal, and Jealous Cat completed the order of finish.

The winner was bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall out of the Stravinsky mare Life Happened and picked up her second grade I victory, having taken the Just a Game (gr. IT) at Belmont Park earlier this season. With a career record of 6-3-1 from 14 starts, she improved her earnings to $1,375,973. She is entered in the Fasig-Tipton November sale Nov. 1, but Casse indicated she could stay in training instead.

"I'm not the boss, I just train her—but I think that was just in case something were to happen and we decided to retire her," he said. "The indication from Mr. Masterson is, as long as she is healthy and happy, she's going to run another year."