Owner Robert Masterson had not originally intended to breed his two-time champion Tepin this year but an irresistible opportunity presented itself and now the daughter of Bernstein has been confirmed in foal to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin .
"Because it is getting late in the season, we basically had a one-shot try," said Masterson, who retired his six-time, grade/group 1-winning "Queen of the Turf" April 18. "You never know when you take a mare off the racetrack if you'll get the chance. Had she not gotten in foal, we would not have tried again."
WINCZE HUGHES: Two-Time Champion Tepin Retired
When Tepin started to come into season, Masterson had some quick decisions to make. He and his adviser Barry Weisbord narrowed the selection of potential Kentucky stallions down to two for the 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) heroine.
"John Sikura at Hill 'n' Dale was extremely cooperative and treated her as if she was one of his own mares," the owner said. "(Curlin's) conception percentages were strong and he's a quality stallion, so it was the right spot to take a shot."
The mating of Curlin with mares by Storm Cat and his sons has been quite successful, having produced 14% black-type stakes winners from starters. This cross has already produced graded stakes winners Diversy Harbor and Ocean Knight and grade 1-placed Ride on Curlin .
Down the road, Masterson still sees an even better potential mating for Tepin with either Galileo or Frankel.
"Both of them would be great possibilities going forward," he said. The champion mare is at Hill 'n' Dale where she will remain for the foreseeable future.
Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Tepin retired with 13 wins from 23 starts and $4,437,918 in earnings. She earned back-to-back Eclipse Awards for champion turf female in 2015 and 2016 and bested males three times, including becoming the first North American-based horse to win the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot when she achieved that feat last June.
