Tepin Back to Her 'Awesome' Self

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York–With temperatures in the high 60s and a breeze that made it feel more like early fall than late August, champion Tepin (Bernstein) showed her appreciation for the cooler temperatures with a work trainer Mark Casse deemed “awesome.”

With Florent Geroux filling in for the injured Julien Leparoux, Tepin hit the track just after 10:00 a.m. and breezed a half-mile in :47.04 over the Oklahoma turf course in company with MGSW Airoforce (Colonel John). The sophomore colt is currently pointing for the $350,000 Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs Sept. 11.

“It was awesome,” Casse said outside of his barn as Tepin got her bath and Airoforce walked the shedrow. “That's the first time we have breezed her in company in a while. I thought both horses went extremely well. Norman and I discussed it and felt she has gotten pretty lackluster, so we wanted to put a little pep in her step. Florent, he breezed her last week, said he could tell as soon as he turned her around that it was like he was on a different horse. He said she didnt take a deep breath. I just was watching, but they caught her the last quarter in something like :22 3/5 or :22 4/5. She's amazing.”

The conditioner added, “I think it was a combination of her having some company and the crisp air. This is the weather we have been waiting for. You could see a difference in her in the shedrow before we went out because she has kind of been dragging around and today she was much happier. She is still on track for [GI Ricoh] Woodbine Mile [Sept. 17]. She is going to have another work next week.”

Just recently inducted into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame, Cassehas won the training title at Woodbine 10 times and the Sovereign Award for top trainer eight times, but has never won the Woodbine Mile.

“Anytime you can win a race of that caliber, it's nice, especially this year and especially with Tepin,” remarked the 55-year-old. “[Tepin's owner] Mr. [Robert] Masterson said at the beginning of the year that there were two races he wanted to point to. One was the race at Royal Ascot [the G1 Queen Anne S.] and the other was the Woodbine Mile. Mr. Masterson is such a wonderful owner for us and he stood behind us from day one, so it would mean a lot to do this for him.”

Leparoux, who is the regular rider for both Airoforce and Tepin, has been out of commission since fracturing his wrist after a fall at Saratoga Aug. 7, but the French native is set to return to work in time for both horses' next starts.

“He is scheduled to get clearance on Tuesday and will be on horses for us at Churchill Wednesday,” Casse reported.

The Indiana-born trainer also offered an update on Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse (City Zip), who suffered her first loss ever on the turf when a close second behind MGSW Time and Motion (Tapit) in last Sunday's GII Lake Placid S. at Saratoga.

“She's great,” Casse remarked. “She ran her butt off. I'm really proud of her. A lot of people ask, 'Was I disappointed?' Of course, a little. You never want to lose, but all you can ask for is to be given a fair chance. I thought Florent rode her perfect. She got beat by a really good horse and there is no shame in that. I think, honestly, if you look, those are the two best 3-year-old turf horses in North America, whether you are talking about a colt or a filly. Now we have a little bit of a rivalry.”

As for her next start, Casse said that it is still up in the air, but she has plenty of options.

“We were thinking the [GI] Queen Eiizabeth II Challenge Cup [Oct. 15] next,” he commented. “There is a little shot, and it is something that has to be discussed with the owners, but we will probably nominate to the [GI] First Lady [S. Oct. 8], going a mile at Keeneland against older fillies. If we seriously want to think about the Breeders' Cup this year, that would be a nice way to figure out where we stand. I've said all along, I think she will run a couple more times this year, but, I'm more excited about giving her a little time off and bringing her back next year. I think she can be Tepin's replacement. I don't know if Tepin will run another year. That will be up to Mr. Masterson. He has talked about if all is well taking her to Dubai in March, but we will see.”

Tepin romped in last year's renewal of the First Lady en route to her impressive victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. When asked if he would consider running his two star turf females against each other in that event, Casse said it was not his decision.

“That call would not be by us.,” the trainer stated. “We have to look at each owner and what is best for them and if that is what they want, than that is what it will be. I know that Gary Barber [owner of Catch a Glimpse] has the utmost respect for Tepin, so I don't know if he will want to face her. He said to me on more than one occassion, 'She's my favorite horse that I don't own.' That would be up to them. It wouldn't be fair for us to make that decision and I would never base that decision on not running one horse against the other.”

The Casse barn females are not the only ones that have been burning up the turf lately. Live Oak Plantation homebred World Approval (Northern Afleet) also provided the operation with a Grade I victory on turf this year in Monmouth Park's GI United Nations S. July 3. The gray was last seen finishing seventh in the GI Arlington Million Aug. 13.

As for future plans for the 4-year-old, Casse said, “That decision has yet to be made. We need to decide what direction we want to go with World Approval. By that I mean, the big races are either a mile and a half or a mile, mile and a sixteenth, so we have to decide what he is best at. We are still a little stumped as to why he didn't run better in Arlington. I mean, he didn't run bad. He only got beaten a length and three-quarters. I just didn't think, and Florent didnt think, he had the punch when he asked him.”

He added, “Mrs. Webber and I are in discussions about that. There is a chance he runs in the [GII] Bernard Baruch [H.] here [Sept. 5]. She would have the option of possibly going to the Woodbine Mile against Tepin if that is what she wanted to do. We could also go to Keeneland for the [GI] Shadwell Turf Mile [Oct. 8]. We are still discussing it, but he is great though.”