By Alan Carasso

Trainer Mark Casse has been leading trainer at Woodbine Racetrack no fewer than 11 times in a career that led to an induction into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame earlier this season. But never has his name graced the trophy given out for the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile, a wrong he will hope to right when he sends out reigning Eclipse Award-winning turf female Tepin (Bernstein) Saturday afternoon.

The Robert Masterson colorbearer would be in search of a 13th straight victory were it not for a pair of excruciating losses at Saratoga during the summer of 2015 and makes his sixth trip to the post this season in the Mile. No better than 2-5 in any of her first four starts this term, the bay was a comparitively generous 11-2 shot in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot June 14. She never really seemed at home over the very easy going, but came to win her race a furlong from home and lasted by a half-length. Connections report she has come back into her best form over the last several weeks and she’s strictly the one to beat at an unbettable quote.

Tepin will look to become just the second female to defeat the boys in the Woodbine Mile, joining Ventura (Chester House), who accomplished the feat in 2009 after finishing runner-up the year prior. Though he has never won the Mile, Casse sent out Kaigun (Northern Afleet) to a close second-place finish in this event in 2014.