Tepin Takes On Three European Invaders in First Lady

Robert Masterson’s Tepin, who has emerged as one of the top distaff grass milers in the country in 2015, and a trio of European invaders headline a field of 11 fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 18th running of the $400,000 First Lady (G1).

 

The First Lady will go as Saturday’s seventh race with a 4:35 p.m. post time.

 

Trained by Mark Casse, Tepin has compiled a 5-3-2-0 record in 2015 with stakes victories coming in the Distaff Turf Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Longines Just a Game (G1) at Belmont. Her runner-up finishes were both decided in photos in the Diana (G1) and the Ketel One Ballston Spa (G2).

 

Julien Leparoux, a four-time winner of the First Lady, retains the mount on Tepin, a 4-year-old daughter of Bernstein, and will break from post position 11.

 

The European-based runners are Paul Crowley’s Crowley’s Law (GB) and the Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith duo of Easter (IRE) and Outstanding (IRE), both trained by Aidan O’Brien.

 

Trained by Thomas Dascombe, Crowley’s Law is group staked-placed in Europe and in her U.S. debut finished third in the Nobel Damsel (G3) at Belmont on Sept. 19. Victor Espinoza will have the mount and break from post position one.

 

Outstanding is making her second foray into U.S. racing. Group stakes-placed in England, Outstanding finished third behindLady Eli in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) in July. She will break from post position seven and be ridden by Colm O’Donoghue.

 

Easter also is group stakes-placed and finished three-quarters of a length in front of Outstanding two weeks ago when they met at Gowran Park in Ireland. Seamus Heffernan has the mount on Easter and will exit post position five.

 

The field for the First Lady with riders and weights from the inside out is as follows: Crowley’s Law (Espinoza, 124 pounds), Kiss Moon (Corey Lanerie, 124), She’s Not Here (Mike Smith, 124), My Miss Sophia (Jose Lezcano, 124), Easter (IRE) (Heffernan, 121), Solid Appeal (Kendrick Carmouche, 124), Outstanding (IRE) (O’Donoghue, 121), Cara Marie (Robby Albarado, 121), Sky Treasure (Luis Saez, 124), Jealous Cat (Florent Geroux, 124) and Tepin (Leparoux, 124).