Tepin asked to do a little more in work for Woodbine Mile

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tepin followed a very good work last week on turf with an even better one Monday, breezing five furlongs in 58.40 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course as she continues preparations for the $1 million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 17.

Tepin, under Florent Geroux, started the breeze five lengths behind stablemate Ikerrin Road, a European import recently purchased by Robert Masterson, who also owns Tepin. Tepin went her first three furlongs in 35.66 seconds and got her last quarter in 22.74 while pulling away from her stablemate under only mild urging from Geroux. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.75.

On Aug. 24, Tepin breezed four furlongs in 47.13 seconds in company with Airoforce, and those two went head-and-head. On Monday, the work was designed for Tepin – who has not raced since winning the Queen Anne Stakes in June at Royal Ascot – to do a little more.

“It’s been a long time since we asked her to do that kind of stuff,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I don’t know that you could ask her to work much better. What was nice is that Florent said she took two deep breaths, and that was it when she pulled up. He also said, ‘Blank-blank-blank, that was amazing.”

Casse said he was looking for a strong work Monday as he tries to balance having her ready for the Woodbine Mile in three weeks while also keeping an eye on a potential race at Keeneland and ultimately the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November.

“It’s going to be a while from her last start,” Casse said. “We want to win, but we don’t want to knock her on her butt doing so. We want to have her on her game and ready when she runs there, but we want her to be able to bounce out of it a little quicker than normal, too.”

Casse said Tepin would continue to train at Saratoga until just a few days before the Woodbine Mile.