Dubai in doubt after minor bout of colic

USA: Royal Ascot heroine Tepin will not start off her season this weekend, with the mare recovering from a minor bout of colic.

Last year's Queen Anne winner was due to make her comeback at Tampa Bay Downs in the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes, a race she won 12 months ago.

Trainer Mark Casse told the Daily Racing Form: "We had to treat her for the colic, which means she can't run Saturday. She's fine now, and she'll go back to the track in the next few days, I imagine. She did this about the same time last year, if I recall."

A trip to Meydan next month for the Dubai Turf on World Cup night is now looking unlikely as a result of the setback, and Casse added: "This hurts the chances of us going over there, but we're not even going to worry about it. Everything had to go kind of perfect for us to make Dubai, and it hasn't. Regardless, there are plenty of other races for her this year."

That news will cheer fans of the six-year-old, as owner Robert Masterton had previously indicated that any injury sustained could end Tepin's career.

"If we don't go to Dubai, there's Keeneland and then maybe even back to Ascot," Casse said. "We'll come up with some sort of plan."