Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Dancing N Dixie rallied from the outside to edge Mo Fox Givin by a neck at the wire and won Saturday’s fifth running of the $233,418 Tepin Stakes (Listed) for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Dancing N Dixie completed one mile on firm turf in 1:36.04 for owners Gary Barber, Rocky Top Stables and LEMB Stables.
Previously, Dancing N Dixie finished third in three consecutive stakes events: the Florida Oaks (GIII), Appalachian (GII) and Edgewood (GII).
Pipsy (IRE) set the pace and led the field of eight 3-year-old fillies through early fractions of :23.83 and :47.76. The closers, including Dancing N Dixie who raced in seventh down the backstretch, began to make their moves around the far turn. Mo Fox Givin found open seam in deep stretch and spurted to the front nearing the sixteenth pole but it was Dancing N Dixie, who made a sweeping wide move in the stretch and rallied home strongly for the over-the-top win at the wire.
“She’s a very nice filly and got unlucky in her last two starts,” Ortiz said. “She kept finding more the more I asked her.”
Dancing N Dixie paid $11.78, $4.66 and $2.96 as the 9-2 third betting choice. Mo Fox Givin, with Joel Rosario up, returned $7.46 and $4.90 at odds of 10-1. Kathynmarissa, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. at odds of 7-1, was another half-length back in third and returned $4.74.
Poolside With Slim (IRE), the 2-1 favorite, was fourth and was followed by Just Better, My Brazilian Girl, Simply in Front and Pipsy (IRE). Dozen Diamonds, Kodiac Wintergreen (IRE) and Voodoo Magic (FR) were scratched.
With her win Saturday, Dancing N Dixie, a gray or road Florida-bred daughter of Neolithic out of the Uncaptured mare Foolhearted Woman, improved her record to 3-0-3 in 10 starts with purse earnings of $320,550. Saturday’s victory was worth $135,315.
Dancing N Dixie was bred by Freddie Hyatt.
The Tepin is named after the brilliant two-time Eclipse Award-winning turf mare in 2015-16, who was trained by Casse.
“It’s obviously so special for the entire team winning a race in honor of Tepin who was in our care,” said Casse’s Kentucky assistant Allen Hardy. “Dancing N Dixie definitely seems to appreciate firmer ground and really kicked home well. I think the last two starts she ran well but definitely appreciated the ground more today to run her best effort.”
