Tepin gets back to work on Saratoga turf

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In her first workout since her triumphant trip to Royal Ascot, Tepin breezed a half-mile in 50.39 seconds Friday morning in preparation for a likely start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap here on Aug. 13.

With regular rider Julien Leparoux in the irons, Tepin went her first quarter in 25.60 seconds and her second quarter in 24.79 over the Oklahoma turf course. Noting that Tepin is not an eye-catching work horse, trainer Mark Casse was still pleased with what he saw. Tepin has won eight consecutive races, capped by her victory against males in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 14.

Regarding the work, Casse said he and his son and assistant, Norm, both said, “I think that’s the best I’ve ever seen her move.”

“She’s very funny,” Casse said. “When she goes slow, she looks like she’s going to trip – she doesn’t pick her feet up. Even Julien says the faster she goes, the better.”

In the Fourstardave, Tepin will face males at a mile. Casse said the race makes sense because he wants to run her in the Woodbine Mile, aslo against males, on Sept. 17.

“We’re going to give her a little more serious breeze next week, but everybody’s not going to say, ‘Wow,’ ” Casse said. “That’s not how we do things with her.”

Right after Tepin worked, the Casse-trained World Approval went a half-mile in 48.72 seconds over the Oklahoma turf with Florent Geroux up. World Approval, coming off a victory in the United Nations at Monmouth, is pointing to the Arlington Million on Aug. 13.

Casse said he thought World Approval “worked awesome.”

“Florent says he’ll run any distance,” he said. “It’s like sitting on cruise control, and when you hit the gas, he takes off.”

Noble Bird worked a half-mile in 47.66 seconds over Saratoga’s main track Friday morning in preparation for a possible start in the Whitney. Noble Bird, who won the Pimlico Special by 11 1/4 lengths, was scratched out of the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont because Casse didn’t like the way the horse had trained in the days leading up to the race.

“The thing about him is if the good one shows up, he’s going to be good,” Casse said. “If the bad one shows up, he can get beat in an allowance race.”

Noble Bird finished last of nine in the 2015 Whitney.