Sharing scores fourth straight win in tight finish in Tepin at Churchill Downs

Sharing came from just off the pace and held off a late push by Abscond to win the $100,000 Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday. It was the fourth straight victory for the Graham Motion-trained Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champion. She bested a dozen other 3-year-old fillies, including 8-5 favorite Alms, who finished fifth.

The daughter of Speightstown covered the 1-mile race across firm turf in 1:36.26 and paid $6.60 to win as the 2-1 second choice. Pass the Plate finished third.

It was the inaugural edition of the Tepin, which Churchill Downs offered as part of its “Stephen Foster Preview Day” card. The Tepin acted as a prep contest for the Grade 3, $100,000 Regret Stakes, which will be run on June 27, the final day of Churchill’s Spring Meet.

Sharing figures to be among the favorites in the Regret Stakes should her connections choose to keep her in Louisville.

Road rally

Dunbar Road broke slow but rallied for a thrilling victory in the $100,000 Shawnee Stakes, besting second-place longshot Chocolate Kisses by 1 3/4 lengths.

Jockey Jose Ortiz urged Dunbar Road to pick up the pace midway through the far turn and the 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road responded, quickly chasing down the leaders and hitting the wire in the 1 1/16-mile contest in 1:43.55.

It was the first start for Dunbar Road since she finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November. Trained by Chad Brown, Dunbar Road will look to return to her peak form from last year, when she won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont.

There’s a good chance Dunbar Road will be a contender for the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis during the last day of Churchill Downs’ Spring Meet on June 27.

Casual victory

Regally-bred 3-year-old filly Casual remained unbeaten in two starts with a 1 1/4-length victory over 29-1 longshot She Can’t Sing in Friday’s $81,765 feature race at Churchill Downs.

The daughter of 2007-08 Horse of the Year Curlin pressed pacesetter Nayibeth early in the seven-furlong sprint and edged clear late in the stretch, sealing the victory with a time of 1:22.26.

Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. and trained by Steve Asmussen, Casual paid $5.80 to win as the second choice. Chad Brown-trained Center Aisle finished fifth as the favorite.

“She was extremely impressive today,” Santana said. “She got pressure today but you can tell she’s getting better each day. She’s a really nice filly and has a bright future ahead of her.”

Betting at Churchill Downs on Friday totaled $8,271,759.

This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 5:51 PM.