Tepin Leads Slate of BC Workers for Casse

Long before daybreak at Churchill Downs Oct. 16, trainer Mark Casse sent Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) contender Tepin out over the main track to kick off a string of workers gearing up for the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The Bernstein filly, who took the Oct. 3 First Lady Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland by seven lengths last time out, will make her first run against boys in the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Mile. Churchill clockers caught her going a half in :50 flat alone under jockey Julien Leparoux in her first move since that dominant victory.

"She looked the best galloping out; she took off galloping out, which was good," Casse said. "If we want her to go fast we put her with company. She'll work as fast as anybody. But we're just trying to get her to relax."

Leparoux said he has seen Tepin mature considerably as her career has progressed. The 4-year-old filly already owns two grade I wins, having collected her first in the June 6 Longines Just a Game Stakes (gr. IT) at Churchill.

"She relaxed beautiful today," he said. "She's been relaxing good in the mornings. It was just an easy half—happy, everything good. The first time I rode her she was doing a lot more than she did the last time, just relaxed. We went :49 (in the First Lady) and she was just as happy as could be last time. I don't think before she would have done that. She's just maturing, I guess.

"Last time we had the perfect race. We didn't go fast the first half, she was just sitting perfectly relaxed. We just had the perfect race; it was the best prep you could have, it was just easy and nice, so we're happy with that for sure. Breeders' Cup will be a different story. I don't think we're going to go :49 in the half. But she likes the track, anyway. She's in deep but she's live for sure."

Next on the tab for Casse was Conquest Big E, a contender for the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) for Ernie Semersky's Conquest Stables. He went five furlongs under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan in 1:00 flat in company with Conquest Windycity., who is pointing for the Nov. 1 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill.

"Conquest Windycity is not a bad horse himself," Casse said. "I was surprised at how easily (Conquest Big E) handled him.

"We've been saving that name for a long time, and Ernie would always kid me, 'When are you going to have enough guts to name one Big E?' But we worked him in Florida four or five months ago and I called up Ernie and said, 'Alright, we've got Conquest Big E,' so that tells you right there that we've always thought he was special. He's getting better, though."

Also working in company were Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) contenders Siding Spring and Airoforce, the latter with Leparoux in the irons. They went four furlongs in :48. 

"I thought they worked good," Casse said. "Those two have been workmates all summer long. They both get over the dirt pretty good. Siding Spring has a little more quickness to him, but I don't know how you could ask two horses to work any better than those two." 

Casse plans to ship his contenders to Keeneland close to the Wednesday, Oct. 28 deadline for Breeders' Cup contenders to be on the grounds of the Lexington track. 

"If we didn't have to, we would ship the morning of the race," he said.