Tepin will travel to Dubai, not Hong Kong, trainer says

Champion mare Tepin will make a trip to Dubai, not Hong Kong, trainer Mark Casse said Saturday.

Tepin's connections flirted with running her in Hong Kong after Tepin finished second to Tourist in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita last weekend. Tepin owner Robert Masterson said afterward he was seriously considering running Tepin in the Hong Kong Mile on Dec. 11. Masterson said racing needs to showcase its stars, and he thought it would be nice for a new audience to see Tepin. In June Tepin went to England and beat males in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

But after further consideration, Casse said, a decision was made to skip Hong Kong.

“We just decided it was too much for her," Casse said about Hong Kong. "It's a long damn trip, too."

Casse did say that an early goal in 2017 is the $6 million Dubai Turf, formerly known as the Dubai Duty Free, run at about 1 1/8 miles on the undercard of the March 25 Dubai World Cup program.

Casse said that Tepin would likely make her 2017 debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 11. Tepin kicked off her 2016 campaign with a victory in the Endeavour.

Tepin is currently stabled at Churchill Downs. Casse said she would be shipped to Palm Meadows in south Florida at the conclusion of the Churchill meet in late November.

Tepin, who won the BC Mile at Keeneland last year, was voted the female turf champion of 2015; she is a leading contender to win that award again for 2016.

Tepin had six wins and two seconds from eight starts this year. In addition to winning the Group 1 Queen Anne, Tepin won the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, as well as the Grade 3 Endeavour, Grade 2 Hillsborough, and Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill. Her other second-place finish came in the Grade 1 First Lady last month at Keeneland, when she was upset by Photo Call.