Tepin, Miss Temple City Set for Mile Showdown

It is fitting that the two mares who currently sit atop the nation's turf mile division have been one another's shadow on the journey which has resulted in their impending collision. 

They have shared the spotlight at the same track on marquee race cards. They shared an overseas venture that produced—for one of them—historic results. And along the way Norman Casse swears he and trainer Graham Motion's charges came to share a genuine bond.

"They are best friends, those two horses, and they've never hooked up before," said Casse, son and top assistant to his father, trainer Mark Casse. "It's going to be fun to have them run against each other." 

The affection between Casse-trained reigning champion turf female Tepin, and Motion-conditioned multiple grade I winner Miss Temple City, was fostered when the two shared a yard during preparations for their respective runs at Royal Ascot in June. Together, they put on a show on the gallops. Together, they now stand as the top threats and one another's biggest obstacle in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.

The Mile has a rich history of girl power, with six female runners being responsible for nine of the race's 32 wins. Robert Masterson's Tepin joined the elite group courtesy of her 2 1/4-length triumph in the eight-furlong test last October. And though the 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein heads into this year's Mile off a runner-up finish in Keeneland's First Lady Stakes (gr. IT) Oct. 8—her first loss in more than a year—the eight-race win streak she compiled to that point established her as the arguably the best turf miler of either sex.

Tepin's legacy was locked down when she became the first American-based horse to win the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot June 14 and her popularity was flaunted when the crowd chanted her name in the aftermath of her victory in the Sept. 17 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (Can-IT). Disappointing as it was for Team Tepin to see Photo Call 2 3/4-lengths in front at the wire in the First Lady, there is something to be said for going into an attempted title defense with the weight of expectations somewhat eased.

"We were using (the First Lady) as a set up for the Breeders' Cup and that's exactly what we got," Norman Casse said. "And there is a lot less pressure now. Every time she ran, more and more pressure was put on us. She had this incredible win streak, she's got this incredible following. I think people still kind of expect her to win the Breeders' Cup again but at the same time, it feels a little easier."

Tepin landed in post No. 8 in the Mile field of 14, a starting point Mark Casse deemed "perfect".

As a result of a concerted effort by her connections to avoid racing against Tepin to this point, Miss Temple City ended up with some historic results of her own. The 4-year-old daughter of Temple City   became the first female runner to sweep the Maker's 46 Mile Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland in April and the Oct. 8 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (gr. IT), the latter of which saw her best fellow Mile entrant, Ironicus, by a head.

The Shadwell was especially satisfying to Motion as he had been seeking to get Miss Temple City back on track after a three-race losing skid that began with her fourth-place run in the June 15 Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Eng-II) at Royal Ascot. In the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, Motion tips his cap to the rival mare he has been happy to admire from afar.

"This was not part of our original plan with this filly. She's kind of taken us there now with her last race," Motion said of Miss Temple City, who will break for post No. 4. "It's only because of Tepin that we were running against the boys so...I guess I have to thank Tepin for it. I think it's unique to have two fillies who are that dominant in the category. It's not very often—in this country anyway—that you see that."

Grade I winners Midnight Storm, What a View, Ring Weekend, and Tourist are also part of the Mile field along with multiple group I winners Limato and Alice Springs, and group II winner Dutch Connection.