Photo Call Stuns Tepin in Winning the First Lady

Photo Call, a five-year-old mare trained by Todd Pletcher, stunned the Keeneland crowd by winning the Gr1 $400,000 First Lady in front-running fashion by two and three quarter lengths over the 2-5 favorite Tepin. Tepin, running in her first race on U.S. soil in 154 days, finished second, but was no threat to Photo Call, who at 29-1, opened up a large lead of ten lengths as she made the final turn for the finish.

Last fall saw Photo Call run fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. After that race, she was sent to the Keeneland November breeding stock sale where she fetched $3,000,000 and was then transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher to continue her racing career. Photo Call is no stranger to Grade 1 wins, as she previously won the grade one Rodeo Drive last fall.

A surprising field of 10 was entered despite the presence of Tepin, who was on an eight race winning streak. All went into the gate quietly on a sun kissed autumn day at Keeneland. It was 3-1 second choice Celestine who grabbed the lead out of the gate as Photo Call also broke well from the outside post position ten. Tepin, breaking from post two, ran up the inside to position herself in third as the field passed the wire for the first time.

Celestine’s lead was short lived as Photo Call was intent on getting to the front under jockey Kent Desormeaux. Photo Call passed Celestine and moved to the rail as she started to widen her early lead to three after a first quarter in 24.10. Meanwhile, Tepin and jockey Julien Leparoux were in the clear in third, some four and a half lengths back. As the field made their way down the backstretch, Photo Call continued to widen the lead to seven lengths after a half in 47.29. Tepin was back into fourth now some eight and a half lengths back.

As Photo Call made her way into the far turn it was clear, she was going to be tough to run down. She opened up by 10 lengths through three quarters in 1:10.73. Julien Leparoux got to work on Tepin but she had too much to do as she passed Celestine at the top of the stretch. Photo Call had carved out a huge lead and wasn’t going to cave in today as Kent Desormeaux hand rode the daughter of Galileo (Ire) through the stretch to the final margin. Tepin closed willingly in the stretch to finish second, three and a half lengths clear of Celestine who finished third.

After the race Kent Desormeaux spoke of his plan to not be on the front and how that plan was foiled, saying, “I’m sorry, Todd. He told me to cover her up, but that wasn’t possible. That was not going to happen. She was really full of herself. She was a pleasure to ride. I just drew on the confidence that Mr. Todd Pletcher asked me to ride her. He doesn’t call often, but when he calls, he’s solid.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux talked about how the large lead Photo Call obtained affected his strategy aboard Tepin saying, “I had to ride my own race. There wasn’t much I could do on the backside. I can't (move up) that early. She’s still Tepin. She is still an amazing filly. She ran her race. We had a good trip. The winner got loose on the lead but other than that we had a good trip. I can’t take anything away from the winner. The winner ran a big race and my filly ran a big race, too.”

For Photo Call, this was her sixth lifetime win and her biggest payday. The $240,000 winners share improved her earnings to $827,102. Her record now stands at 21-6-3-4. This was her second win for owner Teresa Viola Racing Stable. Photo Call was bred in Ireland by Mrs. Evie Stockwell.

As for Tepin, this was her second race back since her successful foray to Royal Ascot last June, and the Mark Casse charge is still on schedule for her next start, a defense of her Breeders’ Cup Mile, as Norman Casse (assistant to his father, Mark Casse) explained after the race, “We hoped for the best, but this is why we picked this race in particular. We didn’t really want to run her ‘A’ race today. The goal has always been the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), a repeat there. I haven't lost any confidence in her, I think we are still set up to do that and she’ll move forward from this race.”

With the win at 29-1, Photo Call lit up the tote board to the tune of $61.40, $10.60, and $5.60. Tepin returned $2.40 and $2.10, while Celestine brought $2.40 for the show. Attempting her ninth consecutive graded stakes win on the grass, Tepin was trying to match Wise Dan’s 2012-2013 streak of nine graded stakes wins and Manila’s 1986-1987 streak of nine as the longest from either gender since the inception of the Eclipse Awards which came in 1971.