Aunt Hattie's talent may trump inexperience in Tepin

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Aunt Hattie will have to overcome a lack of experience and the outside post if she is going win Sunday’s $100,000 Tepin Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Aqueduct. She just may have the talent to do so.

Aunt Hattie, a daughter of Camelot out of the multiple turf graded-stakes winner Spring Star, beat nine rivals in her debut here Nov. 3, leveling off nicely in the stretch and finishing strongly to beat On the Town by 1 3/4 lengths. That race was at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the Tepin.

Bill Mott, who trains Aunt Hattie for St. Elias Stable, said he was not surprised that Aunt Hattie ran so well in her debut and noted that she has trained well since.

Aunt Hattie will have to break from the outside post in what would be an 11-horse field if the race remains on turf. There is rain in the forecast for Saturday night, and the turf was not used here Thursday and Friday due to extreme cold.

Fierce Scarlett is the probable favorite in the Tepin for trainer Chad Brown. She won her maiden by 3 1/2 lengths in her second start and then finished fourth, beaten four lengths as the favorite, in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 10.

On the Town finished second to both Fierce Scarlett and Aunt Hattie in their maiden wins. Trainer Mark Hennig has opted to try her in the Tepin.

Hennig said he was a little surprised by how far off the pace On the Town was in her first start. He noted that she trained more aggressively after that start and ran well in her second out.

“She was a lot more into the race last time,” Hennig said.

Though Hennig has Hollywood Glory entered as a main-track-only in the Tepin, he said if the race comes off the turf he may opt to run On the Town and keep Hollywood Glory for next Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle at Aqueduct.

Trainer Graham Motion has French import Early Time and the U.S.-based maiden Flying the Colors for the Tepin if on turf.

South of France, a winner of two straight, and Slieve Mish, are entered for the main track only.

◗ Recent maiden winners Thorny Tale and Kosciuszko head a field of six New York-bred 2-year-old males entered in Sunday’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes at six furlongs.

Thorny Tale, a son of Forty Tales trained by George Weaver, won a six-furlong off-the-turf maiden race by three lengths in his debut.

Kosciuszko, a son of Smart Bid trained by Pat Quick, won a six-furlong off-the-turf maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths. The second- and third-place finishers came back to win in statebred special weight company in their next start.

Bustin Hoffman, a distant second to Bankit in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow, cuts back to six furlongs, the distance of his debut win in a maiden $50,000 claiming at Belmont.

La Fuerza is a two-time sprint stakes winner who finished 10th in the Sleepy Hollow. Bustin to Be Loved and Analyzethisandthat complete the field.