Royal Ascot heroine Tepin brought a little extra star power to New York this weekend as the group I Queen Anne winner fit in a short stop on her world tour at historic Belmont Park.
Tepin cleared quarantine June 24 and settled in for her brief visit in fine order, according to Randi Melton, trainer Mark Casse's Belmont-based assistant. The 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein walked and grazed the morning of June 25 with a contentment that would belie any indications of her recent European exploits.
"She looks great even for a horse that just walked over to the track here (to run)," said Melton. "For her to look this good after a trip like that, coming out of quarantine and everything, it's unbelievable."
Already honored with a 2015 Eclipse Award for champion turf mare, Tepin has been perfect in four stakes starts this year, including her history making half-length victory at England's most prestigious race meet as the first American horse to win the Queen Anne.
Tepin is set to head back June 26 to Churchill Downs, where she is expected to arrive early Monday morning, said Norm Casse, the head assistant to his father.
"She looks well, she's traveled well," Casse reported. "She's a special horse. She can apparently do these kinds of things and not be any worse for the wear. That's one of the things that has allowed her to do all of this."
Tepin, who won the Just a Game (gr. IT) at Belmont last summer and finished second by the smallest of margins in both the grade I Diana and grade II Ballston Spa at Saratoga Race Course, will be based at the Spa again this summer, said Casse.
"She will come up and join our division at Saratoga," he said. "We want to get her up there and have her there with us training. Right now, it seems likely that she'll go in the Woodbine Mile but if we feel she's doing really, really well, there's a possibility (of a race at Saratoga)."