Florida-bred Dancing N Dixie Gets Up in Time to Win Tepin Stakes – FTBOA

BY CHURCHILL DOWNS PRESS OFFICE

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 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 Chris Moore’s LEMB Stables.

Previously, Dancing N Dixie finished third in three consecutive graded stakes events. She finished just a length behind winner Waskesiu in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs on March 9 then was less than a length off of winner Buchu in the Grade 2 Applachian at Keeneland on April 6. In her last race, the 3-year-old gray or roan filly was just a length-and-a-half behind Dynamic Pricing in the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs on May 3.

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.

Mo Fox Givin was second, a half-length in front of Kathynmarissa in third. Poolside With Slim (Ire), Just Better, My Brazilian Girl, Simply in Front and Pipsy completed the order of finish. Dozen Diamonds, Kodiac Wintergreen (Ire) and Voodoo Magic were scratched.

Dancing N Dixie paid $11.78 to win.

“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.”

With her win Saturday, Dancing N Dixie improved her career record to three wins and three thirds in 10 starts with purse earnings of $320,550. Saturday’s victory was worth $135,315.

She was is a graduate of the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales June Sale where White Type Stables selected her out of the Blue River Bloodstock consignment for $35,000.

Dancing N Dixie is by Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Neolithic out of Foolhearted Woman, by Uncaptured. Dancing N Dixie, who was bred in Florida by the late Freddie Hyatt, is the only winner for Foolhearted Woman. Foolhearted Woman has an unraced 2-year-old filly, Morning Brew, by Curlin’s Honor; and a yearling colt, Freddie’s Honor, by Curlin’s Honor.

Brock Sheridan contributed to this report

Return to the June 29 issue of Wire to Wire