Tepin Stakes

The 2025 GI Stephen Foster Stakes was a doozy on paper, featuring the previous year's GI Kentucky Derby victor (Mystik Dan), a reigning winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic (Sierra Leone) and a G1 Dubai World Cup hero (Hit Show). The race was ultimately won by Mindframe (Constitution). There is very much a sense of deja vu this weekend for the nine-furlong contest--offering the winner an all-expenses-paid trip to this year's Classic just down the road at Keeneland--as 2025 Horse of the Year and spectacular Kentucky Derby conqueror Sovereignty...

Ground Support (Army Mule), last seen finishing a fantastic third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar Oct. 31, will launch her sophomore campaign in Saturday's $275,000 Tepin Stakes on the Stephen Foster program at Churchill Downs. She's breezed 10 times at trainer Kelsey Danner's Turfway Park base for her return, headed by a four-furlong bullet from the gate in :46.80 (1/33) June 11. "She's been training well," Danner said. "She's gotten huge. She was big last year and she's a lot bigger this year. But...

Second to Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in the both the GIII Florida Oaks and the GII Edgewood Stakes at 1 1/16 miles in her last two starts, Lush Lips (GB) finally broke through to the win Saturday in the Tepin Stakes at the mile at Churchill Downs. Shortened up for the first time since she made her North American debut a the mile at Kentucky Downs last summer, the 8-5 favorite had shown early speed in all of her prior races bar two but was relegated back in this spot to...

Executing a well-timed turn of foot like a seasoned professional, Laurelin (Zarak {Fr}) ran to her odds and in the process swept up the Penn Oaks at dusk. The chestnut came in as a deserving favorite, since her record was without blemish. After breaking her maiden at first asking during the Belmont At The Big A meet last October, the filly picked up the Tepin Stakes at the Big A in mid-November. Turned out for the winter, Laurelin returned to Ozone Park and promptly took home the Memories of Silver...

Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) issued a well-timed move down the lane to stroll home in the Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct on Sunday afternoon. The Goffs September Yearling Sale grad who was picked out by Form Bloodstock donned cap and gown by 1 1/2 lengths on debut during the Belmont At The Big meet Oct. 13. Trainer Graham Motion then sent the filly into the Tepin Stakes over the same turf course Nov. 17 and the chestnut visited the winner's circle again. Taking a break, the 3-year-old went off...

Runner-up in the grassy Tepin Stakes when last seen at Aqueduct Nov. 17, Gatsas Stables' Five G ran away from her overmatched rivals to easily take out Wednesday's Fasig-Tipton Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Let go at better than 5-1 returning to the main track for the first time since finishing unplaced behind the talented MSW 'TDN Rising Star' With the Angels (Omaha Beach) at Saratoga last summer, the homebred filly bounced away well enough from the inside gate beneath John Velazquez and railed through to contest the early...

After taking home the Central Park Stakes trophy with Jack and Jim (Slumber {GB}) at the Big A on Saturday, trainer Graham Motion made it back to the winner's circle when Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) got up in time to take the Tepin Stakes on Sunday. The chestnut broke her maiden for the Maryland-based conditioner by 1 1/2 lengths over the same grass course Oct. 13, but that was not enough to install her as the favorite in the bettor's minds. As a 4-1 shot here, the filly settled mid-pack...

Sharing picked up her sophomore season where she left off last term with a victory in the Tepin S. at Churchill Downs. Tracking from fourth through a :24.16 opening quarter and a :48.39 half, Maryland bred swept up two wide on the backstretch, took control in early stretch and held off a late bid from Abscond to win by 3/4 of a length. Pass the Plate rounded out the trifecta. A close-up third in her career bow at Saratoga last July, the chestnut earned TDN Rising Star honors with an...