Tepin Refuses to Work March 27 at Palm Meadows

Trainer Mark Casse plans to send Tepin to Kentucky after the two-time champion grass mare refused to work March 27 at Palm Meadows Training Center.

Casse hadn't planned to breeze the 6-year-old daughter of Bernstein until she was moved from South Florida to Kentucky but with things going well in Florida, sent her out for a Monday breeze that would have been her first since Feb. 1.

"We weren't going to breeze her until she got to Kentucky but she had been training really well so we thought we'd take her out and breeze her today," Casse said. "She's in heat and she kind of just didn't want to do it and we didn't force her. 

"Normally what she likes to do is go straight off but when you work on the turf course, you can't do that. You have to back up. And some days, sometimes when she backs up she just doesn't want to go and we don't force it.

"I'm sure if Julien (Leparoux) had stood there for another five minutes or so she probably would have went. But we just said it wasn't that big of a deal."

Tepin missed a planned seasonal debut in the Feb. 11 Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes (G3T) because of a mild bout of colic.

WINCZE HUGHES: Champion Tepin to Miss Endeavour Due to Mild Colic Bout

Casse said after talking things over with owner Robert Masterson Monday, Tepin will be sent to Kentucky and will be closely evaluated after the change in scenery.

"That's her happy place," Casse said. "And if she's not happy, that will be it." 

Casse said the champion mare typically has thrived in training at Churchill Downs, but that isn't always the case at Palm Meadows.

"I mean that is her happy place and we said all along with Palm Meadows, some days she likes it and some days she doesn't," Casse said. "But when Julien was bringing her home, he was hanging on because she was feeling so good jumping up and down and acting good."

John Oxley's champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire, also trained by Casse, refused to break off for a planned work March 19 at Palm Meadows. The trainer said problems like these occur with racing stables.

"Honestly it's something you deal with on a constant basis when you're training horses. Normally they're not champions so they're not in the limelight," Casse said. "If she was just another horse we'd laugh about it and say you know what, 'Let's do it tomorrow.' People don't always see what goes on every day and the things that trainers deal with on a constant basis. This is part of it. 

"It's a puzzle and you're always trying to put the pieces together. Unfortunately for us, two of our big guns have been doing this. But that's OK. If this was easy, everyone would be doing it. I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions telling us what we are doing wrong."

REEDER: Classic Empire Back to Work in Ocala

Classic Empire worked five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 March 22 at Winding Oaks Farm. Casse added that the plan is to work Classic Empire in Ocala again this week and they're still deciding between the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) or Arkansas Derby (G1).