Tepin (Bernstein) may not have been at her most brilliant, but she once again showed her class and determination in conquering the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile S., her third Grade or Group 1 victory over males. She is the first female to get the money in the Woodbine Mile since Juddmonte homebred Ventura (Chester House)'s brilliant run in 2009.
“She's done everything in the United States and we'd like everyone to be her fan,” owner Robert Masterson said. “She has a great disposition.” He continued, “We might run her before the Breeders Cup because she likes to run and she's better off running her than working her. It's a long time before the Breeders' Cup–she's won three Grade I's at Keeneland, so we may run her at Keeneland in a Grade I.”
The win marked the first victory in the Woodbine Mile for newly minted Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Casse, however, was unable to make it to Woodbine when weather concerns grounded his private flight Saturday morning.
“It looked like she may have needed this one,” assistant trainer and Mark's son Norman Casse said. “She's sitting on a big one next time. We're going to look at it and pick the easier of the two [races at Keeneland, the GI First Lady or the GI Shadwell Turf Mile Oct. 8].”
The win provided Tepin with an automatic berth in Santa Anita's Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Mile, a race which she won last year at Keeneland with a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 110.
Undefeated since airing in the GI First Lady S. last fall at Keeneland, including a five-length tally in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 16 and another sparkling performance in Churchill's GII Churchill Distaff Mile S. May 7, last year's Breeders' Cup Mile heroine scored an
historic triumph for America in the G1 Queen Anne S. June 14 at Royal Ascot, but took a little while to recover from the trip this summer. Turning the corner in her last few works, including a sensational bullet :58 2/5 (1/26) five furlongs Aug. 29 on the Saratoga training turf, the 'Queen of the Turf' was made a 2-5 proposition in her North American return.
Stalking the pace from fourth down the backstretch through splits of :23.38 and :46.41, Tepin moved willingly up to challenge the leaders at the top of the stretch and took over nearing the furlong grounds. Looking long gone from there, she got a bit leg-weary in the closing stages, but had more than enough left in the tank to hold off longshot Tower of Texas.
“She's amazing,” regular rider Julien Leparoux said. “She got a little tired today–she's been off for three months–but I think she's just going to get better after this race. I knew that they were not going to just give me the race, we had a good post, I could do whatever I wanted. We waited and made a final kick in the end.”
He continued, “She makes my job easy, it was a good race, she got a little tired. From this race she'll get better.”
Pedigree Notes:
Tepin is a half-sister to recent GII Pat O'Brien S. runner-up and 2013 GII Jerome S. winner and GI Wood Memorial S. third Vyjack (Into Mischief); and 2011 GIII Coolmore Lexington S. runner-up and GIII Peter Pan S. third Prime Cut (Bernstein). The mare Life Happened, purchased by Machmer Hall for $4,500 at the 2008 Keeneland November sale, is a half-sister to Disco Rico (Citidancer), successful in the GIII Maryland Breeders' Cup H. and GIII Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup S. from the immediate family of the GII Ladies H. heroine Miss Slewpy (Slewpy). Life Happened, by Ballydoyle's Stravinsky and mated with another former member of that stable in Bernstein, also has an as-yet unraced 3-year-old colt by Gio Ponti named Taniko and a 2-year-old colt by Harlan's Holiday, who was sold in utero to Solis & Litt for $750,000 to share the second top price at the 2014 Keeneland January sale. Life Happened was bred to War Front this year.
Saturday, Woodbine
RICOH WOODBINE MILE S.-GI, C$1,040,000, WO, 9-17, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.13, gd.
1–TEPIN, 121, m, 5, by Bernstein
1st Dam: Life Happened, by Stravinsky
2nd Dam: Round It Off, by Apalachee
3rd Dam: Capp It Off, by Double Zeus
($140,000 Ylg '12 FTSAUG). O-Robert E. Masterson;
B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Julien R. Leparoux.
C$600,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Grass Mare & MGISW,
21-13-3-1, $4,017,918. *Full to Prime Cut, MGSP, $167,426;
1/2 to Vyjack (Into Mischief), MGSW & MGISP, $1,201,900.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: C.[bullet ad=”machmer-hall-bredfoaledraised”][bullet ad=”selectsales-shell”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”greathouse-yrlg-blue”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]
2–Tower of Texas, 119, g, 5, Street Sense–Rare Opportunity, by
Danzig Connection. ($195,000 Ylg '12 KEEJAN; $90,000 RNA
Ylg '12 FTKOCT; $150,000 RNA 2yo '13 OBSMAR). O-Thomas F.
Van Meter II & Scott Dilworth; B-Anderson Farms (Ontario)
Inc. & Rod Ferguson (ON); T-Roger L. Attfield. C$240,000.[bullet ad=”anderson-farms-bred-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”vanmeter-yeah-no-hell-on-sunday”][bullet ad=”mckathan-brothers-training-grad”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred”]
3–Mutakayyef (GB), 121, g, 5, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Infallible
(GB), by Pivotal (GB). (260,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-Shadwell
Stable; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-William J. Haggas.
C$100,000.
Margins: HF, NK, 3/4. Odds: 0.45, 23.90, 3.40.
Also Ran: Full Mast, Arod (Ire), Mr. Owen, Glenville Gardens, Passion for Action. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
