Tepin Gets Serious in Latest Work

The older Robert Masterson's champion mare Tepin gets, the craftier she has gotten in terms of saving her best form for when it counts most.

Work her by herself in the mornings, and the 6-year-old daughter of Bernstein will lollygag along as she pleases. So when trainer Mark Casse wants his two-time Eclipse Award heroine to get serious, he knows he needs to give her a target to get her to tap into her brilliant, competitive form.

The morning after she was voted champion turf female for a second consecutive year, Tepin signaled that another reign may be in the making as she worked four furlongs in company with Tamit, covering the distance in a bullet :47 4/5 over the Palm Meadows Training Center turf Jan. 22.

After breaking off alongside one another, Tepin spotted her stablemate about a half length around the turn before finishing up just in front well in hand under jockey Julien Leparoux and galloping out about three lengths clear. It was a crucial move to keep Tepin in the running to make her seasonal bow in the Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 11 as she missed a couple days of training last week after kicking the wall in her stall.

"It's amazing. When she's by herself, you have to watch out. She'll trip and not pay attention," Casse said. "When she focuses, she puts it in a different mode. She was moving very well, and she got something out of it.

"One thing I will say is...I saw that in Saratoga she got a little on the heavy side because of so many visitors and so many mints and sweet potatoes. She doesn't get as many visitors here (at Palm Meadows) and she's stayed a little more lean. So I don't think it's going to take quite as much to get her back. I'd say we're 60-40 (to go in the Endeavour)."

The Endeavour is being used as a stepping stone for Tepin towards a possible trip to Meydan Racecourse for the Dubai Turf (G1) in March. Casse was initially concerned that if they ran out of time to make that venture, the decision might come down to simply retire the 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner. After speaking with Masterson this past week, Casse says that as long as Tepin keeps showing her competitive fire when asked, they will let her keep running.

"We wanted to know that if we felt like it was rushing to make Dubai, if they still wanted to run her another year. In other words, was Dubai the only reason in running her again because if it was, we were starting to feel a little bit of a pinch to make the Endeavour," Casse said. "After a good discussion, we decided as long as she's happy and healthy, they want to run her another year and if we don't make Dubai, it's OK. We may even entertain Royal Ascot again."

Last year saw Tepin notch grade/group 1 wins in three different countries, including becoming the first North American-based horse to win the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot last June. In reflecting upon a 2016 that saw Casse also condition newly-minted 2-year-old male champion Classic Empire, it is hard for the Canadian Hall of Fame conditioner to come up with a moment that tops what his seasoned stable star delivered.

"I don't know that anything could ever repeat that," Casse said of Tepin's Royal Ascot victory. "And I have to tell you, if it was left up to me, Tepin wouldn't have went to Royal Ascot. It was all (Masterson). He said 'We want to do something special.' And I'm glad we did."