Tepin gets back in tune with half-mile in 47.13

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- With less than a month to go before an expected start in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile, it was time for Tepin to pick things up in her training.

Tuesday, she did exactly that, working a half-mile in 47.13 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course. Tepin, with jockey Florent Geroux up, worked in company with the multiple graded-stakes-winning 3-year-old male Airoforce. Tepin started the work about a half-length off Airoforce, went her opening quarter in 24.20 seconds, and came home in a quick 22.93. She proceeded to gallop out five furlongs in 59.82 seconds.

The work was light years away from her half-mile in 53.07 seconds by herself last Tuesday that raised some concerns about whether Tepin might have been feeling the effects of a campaign that included an overseas trip to England for the Queen Anne in June.

Trainer Mark Casse noted last week that Tepin is a much better work horse in company and she proved that Tuesday.

Casse said he and his son/assistant Norman “talked about it and we said we might want to start tightening the screws a little bit because the last thing we want to do is have her go and get beat. This was a good step. She’ll have another pretty good one. But I don’t think you could ask for a horse to work any better than she did, could you?”

Casse skipped races at Saratoga such as the Fourstardave and this weekend’s Ballston Spa with Tepin, primarily because he felt his champion turf filly was struggling a bit training over Saratoga’s main track. Her struggles seem behind her.

“We wanted to see where we were at,” Mark Casse said. “This told us where we’re at. We’re good.”

Mark Casse said Tepin would likely remain in Saratoga to do the bulk of her preparations for the Woodbine Mile on Sept. 17.