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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 31, 2015Deuce GreathouseJulien LeparouxRobert MastersonLexington, Kentucky THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to the winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile, that, of course, is Tepin. And we're joined right now by, in the center, owner Robert Masterson. On the right, winning jockey Julien Leparoux. Julien, who is with you? JULIEN LEPAROUX: Mitchell Leparoux, my son. THE MODERATOR: When was Mitchell born? JULIEN LEPAROUX: September 21. He's five and a half weeks. THE MODERATOR: And we also have Deuce; is that right? Congratulations to all of you. Julien, we'll start with you to get a breakdown of the race. Tell us about your trip, if you would. JULIEN LEPAROUX: She rode good, like she always does. I was surprised actually coming to the first turn to be on the lead. I thought obviously she'd be there already, but you came across me, and I could get out as soon as I could so that was great. She was relaxed. And on the back side, I was very confident. THE MODERATOR: Very good. I should mention Julien won this race in 2011 with Court Vision. Winning trainer Mark Casse‑‑ JULIEN LEPAROUX: No, I got beat actually that time. I got beat by a nose. THE MODERATOR: Did I get that wrong? ROBERT MASTERSON: We know about getting beat by a nose. JULIEN LEPAROUX: I know. ROBERT MASTERSON: We've been beat twice by two noses. THE MODERATOR: Sorry about that. JULIEN LEPAROUX: That's all right. I did ride him, though. THE MODERATOR: Robert, take us through the race from your perspective and what you saw. ROBERT MASTERSON: The thing we were worried about in the very beginning was we wanted her to break well and not get trapped on the rail with maybe two or three horses on the outside of us. She's better if she lets speed in the race go and then lay outside of her, which exactly what Julien let the 8 horse go over and cross over in front of her and then got behind her. We're sitting over there, and I say they let her go in 24 and she's back. I said, they better have their running shoes on. When she hit the top of the lane, I said they better have their running shoes. She's never been beat in a mile on the dirt and the grass. I said there isn't anybody gonna come catch her. When she hit for home like that on the lead, I thought nobody is going to catch her. Didn't you think so too, Julien, nobody is going to catch her. JULIEN LEPAROUX: On the back side already, she was so relaxed. Like the last race too, the same kind of race we had today, and I knew that, like you said, if they beat us, it would have to be‑‑ they would have to run a lot. ROBERT MASTERSON: They would have to have their running shoes on. JULIEN LEPAROUX: I knew she was going to kick home for sure. THE MODERATOR: Robert, I'd like to get your opinion on what's changed with this filly from three to four, aside from Julien Leparoux? ROBERT MASTERSON: She doesn't like the heat and humidity very well. She's had some problems, even when we were in Saratoga and she ran good races, she ran [ck] 101 buyers, but she wasn't 100 percent herself. She likes it a little cooler. She likes it a little off, like she won on a good track in Belmont. I mean, I think it has to do with the weather. Then she got hurt a little bit and we gave her that time off, gave her six months off and then she came back and won at Gulfstream and then has had the year she's had. Phenomenal year. THE MODERATOR: We're always interested in the story of how you came to own this filly. Going back to 2012 at the Saratoga sale, tell us about that. ROBERT MASTERSON: Deuce's father, David Greathouse, who passed away, and I have been partners since the early '80s in all kinds of things with horses. Deuce and his father found the horse in Saratoga. We always go up there. And then I looked at it with them, and they said this is the one they really liked. Bought the horse. THE MODERATOR: Deuce, what qualities do you remember this filly going back to then? DEUCE GREATHOUSE: She was a gorgeous filly. Her pedigree has turned into it what it has with Vyjack being a half brother. That's all come about. She was a gorgeous filly, and we took a shot on an individual. It wasn't a lot of brains. We didn't try to overthink it. We just picked out one we thought looked like a runner, and we got lucky. THE MODERATOR: Mark told us this week, despite her accomplishments this year, it looked like if she comes back healthy and happy, will we see her campaign next year? ROBERT MASTERSON: Oh, yes. I think five‑year‑olds, mares is the best. It's like an adult. They mature. You get to the right age and you're smart and you've done it. As long as you're not hurt; as long as you're healthy. I think it's their best year. I think she'll have her best year next year. I mean, I don't know if she can beat this year, it was pretty good, but she should have her best year next year. JULIEN LEPAROUX: I hope so. DEUCE GREATHOUSE: Maybe we'll try to do what Goldikova and Miesque did, win two. ROBERT MASTERSON: A repeat. Besides that I live in Delmar, so that would be great. THE MODERATOR: That would be two years. ROBERT MASTERSON: Oh, two years, right. THE MODERATOR: In any case, you've been involved with so many good horses, maybe not on yourself but in partnership. Tell us how this ranks especially since you're the sole owner. ROBERT MASTERSON: This is the best I've had by myself. I've had horses, Artie Hubbard and Johnny Jones from Womack Farm. Johnny, Sr. and Barry Weisbord. We've had great fillies over the years, graded horses and so forth that have won a lot of races. But by myself, this is the best one I've had by myself. So thank you. Q. You brought her into Keeneland rather early and gave her a race on October 3rd. She won by seven before you got the Breeders' Cup run. Was the long‑term plan bringing her to Keeneland early and giving her the benefit of the track and get the feel of the track? Was that the plan? ROBERT MASTERSON: Actually, we had the plan since she won on Kentucky Derby day in July. When she won the Grade 2 on Kentucky Derby day, going a mile, we said here's our plan. She's going to run that race. She's going to go to Belmont and run the Belmont race, the Grade 1 that mile. She's going to run on the Diana, she's going to go to Keeneland and go to the Breeders' Cup. We had that plan. That's the plan she went to. She did that plan. She got beat a nose in the Diana. She ran her shoes off. JULIEN LEPAROUX: That was a tough beat. ROBERT MASTERSON: That was a tough beat, but she ran her heart out. DEUCE GREATHOUSE: That's when we decided we were going to focus on the mile. ROBERT MASTERSON: Flat mile. Q. Today, you beat some of the best milers in Europe. ROBERT MASTERSON: Yes. Q. Congratulations. ROBERT MASTERSON: Thank you. Q. And you beat them all. ROBERT MASTERSON: Thank you, we know that [Laughter]. We know that, and we could have run the Distaff on the grass against the girls. I've been in the business a long time. I said, why do I want to do that? I want to run against the best. Q. I can see you are a man who can meet challenges. ROBERT MASTERSON: Exactly right. DEUCE GREATHOUSE: Then he called me when the PPs came out, and he said the mile's the toughest race in the world this year. Why are we running a mile? ROBERT MASTERSON: You know, if you ever read the sheets, you know, in gambling, there's eight horses in that on the sheets that ran a zero. Eight horses. I mean, come on, give me one or two. I got to beat eight of them like that? Anyway, it was funny. THE MODERATOR: You did, indeed, beat them all. I think that wraps it up down here. Congratulations once again. Tepin, winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile. ROBERT MASTERSON: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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