Tepin topples males again in Woodbine Mile
ETOBICOKE, Ontario—The incomparable Tepin beat the boys again in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile, holding off 23-1 shot Tower of Texas under Julien Leparoux to win the 20th running of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifier.
Glenville Gardens set quick fractions of 23.39 and 46.41 seconds, while being stalked by Full Mast and Arod. After breaking from the outside post 8, Tepin ($2.90) took up the chase in fourth on the backstretch. She made a three-wide bid into contention on the turn, hit the front early in the stretch, and then opened up a daylight lead before holding sway to prevail by a half-length, in a time of 1:34.13 over the “good” ground.
Tower of Texas closed from sixth to edge out 3-1 second choice Mutakayyef. Full Mast finished fourth, and was followed by Arod, Mr. Owen, Glenville Gardens and Passion for Action.
It was the eighth straight win for the Robert Masterson-owned Tepin, who hadn’t raced since her memorable score over males in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot in June.
“We had a good post,” said winning jockey Julien Leparoux. “She broke good, and relaxed. She was traveling well the whole way. I could do whatever I wanted. I sat on the outside, and just waited to make a kick at the end. She got a bit tired at the end, but we expected that. I think she’s going to get better, fitter, after this race. She had been off for three months. No matter how many times you breeze her, a race is a race. That’s how you get fit. It was a race to help her get ready for the next one.”
Norm Casse, assistant and son of trainer Mark Casse, said Tepin will run back at Keeneland on Oct. 8 in either the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile or the Grade 1 First Lady, whichever one is easier. That will be her final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita, which she won last year when it was staged at Keeneland.
“She’ll go to Churchill,” said Norm Casse. “If we waited until the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, we’d have to breeze her over and over on the main track at Churchill, and I don’t know if we’re really 100 percent comfortable with that. It’s better when she runs all the time. She’ll probably come back and have an easy work. We’ll pick out a race at Keeneland, and she’ll be ready to go.”
Tepin earned $600,000, and the 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein has won 13 of 21 starts.