Tepin Tops Terrific Turf Weekend at Keeneland

She’s the champ. Tepin has been terrific all over, but she is the champ in large part thanks to her awesome display of turf prowess in two races last fall right here at Keeneland. Those races, the Grade 1 First Lady and the Breeders’ Cup Mile, were so good that it made it an easy decision to reward her with an Eclipse Award. Returning to the location of her biggest career victory, and still on a major roll, the five-year-old daughter of Bernstein headlines a big turf weekend at the picturesque Lexington oval.

On Saturday, the Mark Casse stable star will loom a clear choice in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes, where she will face a solid field of fillies and mares going 8 ½ furlongs on the Keeneland turf. After four breathtaking wins, which also include this year’s Endeavour and Hillsborough, both at Tampa Bay Downs, you can expect the Champion Turf Female of 2015 to go off an odds-on favorite in Saturday’s main event, but the last mare to beat her to the wire, is actually in the field.

That would be Dacita, who came from the clouds to nail Tepin on the wire of the Ballston Spa at Saratoga last summer. The Chilean import has made one start this year, finishing second by a neck in the Grade 3 The Very One at Gulfstream Park. While she could be the second favorite among the bettors, there are a number of other classy female turf runners in here, who will be hoping to catch Tepin not at her very best.

I believe the one that has the best chance to get in the way of five in a row for Tepin in here is the French filly, Wekeela. The daughter of Hurricane Run ran against the best three-year-old fillies in France last year, and was competitive every time. Any improvement at four, could see the Martin Schwartz owned and Chad Brown trained import as a major player on the American turf scene this year. As much as that may be true, this race still boils down to Tepin. On her best, such as below, there will be no beating Tepin at Keeneland.

Tepin is such an imposing turf figure right now, that the connections of the classy turf filly, Miss Temple City, are likely to make the unusual decision of running against the Grade 1 males on Friday, in hopes of catching an easier spot. Friday’s feature is the $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile, and it has attracted eight grass males in addition to the aforementioned filly.

Heart to Heart is the morning line favorite for the eight-furlong affair on the strength of a three race win streak. The son of the turf champion, English Channel, has gone wire-to-wire in the three graded stakes at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park, but will be in search of his first Grade 1 stakes victory in the Maker’s 46 Mile. He certainly has more than he showed last time he attempted a Grade 1, which was also at Keeneland, when he never got the lead and faded to tenth in the Shadwell Turf Mile. Julien Leparoux will be his partner for the fourth straight time.

Co-second choices at 7-2 are Shining Copper and Tourist. The former is a bit of a wildcard. You will remember him as the horse who opened up a gigantic early lead in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Turf. He couldn’t stay the trip after leading by a good twenty lengths, but on his best, he can prove to be a tricky horse to run down. He was super game in last year’s Arlington Million, ultimately only beaten one length, and just missed going all the way in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in his only start this year. Meanwhile, Tourist will be making his first start of the season on Friday. Last year, the talented turfer won his seasonal debut in impressive style, before losing in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile by a neck for trainer, Bill Mott.

All three of the favorites have a high turn of early speed, but of the three, it is Tourist who looks to have the most ability to sit off the lead, and still make his presence known late. And don’t forget the filly. I believe both her class and her opportunity to win this are a bit disrespected by her morning line odds of 12-1. Although she will be facing males for the first time, and making her first start of the year, she is in with a chance in here for trainer Graham Motion. An excellent grass runner since her career debut in 2014, she has kept top female company on both sides of the pond. Reload, Itsaknockout, and Are You Kidding Me, are three more in Friday’s feature who have a chance to make it into the winner’s circle, while Dac is a little harder to recommend.

In the end, I like Tourist best in the Maker’s 46 Mile and Tepin (no surprise) in the Jenny Wiley. Enjoy the Grade 1 turf racing on Keeneland the next two days!