Tepin wins at Royal Ascot

Champion turf mare Tepin wins the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. The 5-year-old Tepin topped a field of 12 of the best male milers.

England, specifically the Ascot Racecourse, agrees with Tepin, the 2015 Eclipse champion turf mare. On Tuesday at the Royal Ascot meet in picturesque Berkshire, she faced 12 top milers in the Queen Anne Stakes, and she won.

Out of the gate, jockey Julien Leparoux placed Tepin off the lead and out of trouble. They bided their time until the final two furlongs of the eight-furlong test. Digging deep, the dark bay mare gained ground with every stride. At the finish line, she was half a length in front of the well-respected Belardo; Lighting Spear was third.

As she crossed the finish line Tepin became the second U.S.-based horse to win a Grade 1 at Royal Ascot. And, she joined the ranks of legends Goldikova and Frankel who were previous winners of the Queen Anne Stakes. 

Tepin: What was said

Before the race, the on-air punters listed reasons why Tepin was at a disadvantage:

• The all-male field had Europe’s top milers
• The mile at Ascot is run on a straight course, unlike the ovals in America
• With recent rain, the turf footing was far softer than surfaces encountered in the States
• She would be running without Lasix, forbidden in the U.K. but used in the U.S. to inhibit pulmonary bleeding
• Her nasal strips are not permitted in England
• Jockey Julian Leparoux was unfamiliar with the racecourse’s rolling surface and uneven footing, the local “boys” knew where to wait and where to ask for speed

Tepin: What she did

What the broadcasters didn’t take into consideration was that once this 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein, and full sister to the multiple graded stakes winning Vyjack, gets on the track, she is down to win. Tepin was on a six-race winning streak; now it is seven.

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Alicia Wincze Hughes related Tepin’s trainer Mark Casse’s response to the victory,

"There were a lot of things stacked against her today, but in the end her greatness prevailed. A lot of people in the United States will be delighted with this result. I have to tip my hat to Robert Masterson (her owner); he was a true sportsman who encouraged us to come.We trained her without Lasix and all the things she was accustomed to and we felt that she handled that fine. She thought she was over here on vacation and then before the race she realized that she had to work. She will be fine, go back and relax. She is just a remarkable horse."

And, Leparoux gave some post-race insight,

"She had to work for it today. The last 100 meters was a long way to go and I am glad we got it done. She is a champion and proved it today."

For more horse racing coverage, please visit our hub page.