Tepin Refuses to Breeze, Returns to Barn `Happy and Healthy'

Tepin (Bernstein), sent out for a half-mile tuneup at Palm Meadows this morning, refused to breeze, but has come back to the barn “happy and healthy” according to her owner, Bob Masterson. The 6-year-old mare, who was named the American Champion Female Turf horse the past two years, was being ridden by her regular jockey, Julien Leparoux, at the time.

“She's healthy as can be,” said Masterson. “She's happy as can be. There's not a pimple on her. She has been great. Julien was on her this morning and she was scheduled to breeze but she would not breeze; would not go at all. She is in season, and this happens sometimes. We think she doesn't like being down there at Palm Meadows. There has been a little heat down there, so we're going to ship from Churchill soon, see how she is, and make a decision about her future.”

Masterson said that assistant trainer Norman Casse was on hand at the time, and observers said she subsequently jogged two miles the wrong way before returning to the barn. “She has done this before,” said Masterson. “When she was very successful, she's done it. We're not upset about it. We're not disturbed about it. We think she's fine and we think she'll go forward. She came back to the barn happy.”