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Repole’s Dream Season Rolls Into Breeders’ Cup Weekend

LEXINGTON, KY – Mike Repole is heading into Breeders' Cup weekend with 'Uncle Mo' on his side.

After fulfilling a lifelong dream by running one-two in the GI Belmont S. with the recently retired and Spendthrift-bound Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and Nest (Curlin)–one of Repole's seven Grade I victories on the year–the momentum has continued to build for the native New Yorker's stable ahead of this year's Championships at Keeneland.

'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) and Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke), two of the bigger names on the 'Future Stars Friday' card, will line up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, respectively. The aforementioned Nest will look to put an exclamation point on her brilliant 3-year-old campaign against an all-star cast of older fillies and mares in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. All three are trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

“This has been an amazing year,” Repole said. “It's one thing to win the Belmont. But in all my biggest dreams, I never envisioned them coming down the stretch with the blue-and-orange silks in first and second. We won seven Grade I's this year, which is insane, with the incredible team that we've put together of Ed Rosen, Jim Martin, Jake West, Danielle Bricker, and, of course, Todd Pletcher, who has the most pressure.

“Having horses like Chocolate Gelato, Forte and Nest, I have to scratch my head every day,” Repole added.

It's been 12 years now since Repole Stable's flagship runner turned Coolmore leading sire Uncle Mo concluded his championship season with authority in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

“I think Uncle Mo not only was the perfect name for that horse (Editor's Note: Uncle Mo is a popular sports expression used to describe when a team or player gets on a roll), but I really think that he's been the perfect name for the stable,” Repole said. “From Uncle Mo, you get Mo Donegal. You get horses like that. At the end of the day, he's gonna be the patriarch of the stable.”

Stars in the Making…

Forte is likely to go off as the second choice in the Juvenile behind the unbeaten Bob Baffert-trained MGISW and 'Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate). Looking to be any kind with a blowout debut win at Belmont Park, Forte has more than made up for an off-the-board finish as the favorite in Saratoga's GIII Sanford S. with a pair of subsequent wins at the highest level.

After splashing home first by three lengths in a saturated renewal of the GI Hopeful S. with next-out GI Champagne S. winner 'Rising Star' Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) back in third, Forte passed his two-turn test in style with a hard-fought neck decision after making a powerful, sweeping move on the far turn over the Juvenile track and trip in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity.

Bred in Kentucky by South Gate Farm and co-owned with Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, Forte is one of six Grade I winners for Violence. The $80,000 Keeneland November weanling and $110,000 Keeneland September yearling hails from the extended female family of champion 2-year-old filly Folklore (Tiznow).

“We went out there for the Futurity with the number one goal to prepare this horse for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile,” Repole said. “We wanted to get a race over the track and for him to be stabled at Keeneland. The way he did it was incredibly impressive. He's getting better and better.”

Repole continued, “We have that West Coast Baffert horse to beat. We know we can sit behind horses and we'll see what happens. You never know, you got to show up, right?”

Chocolate Gelato, winner of the GI Frizette S., has been installed as the 7-2 morning-line favorite in a full field of 14 for the Juvenile Fillies. “I think it's a wide-open race,” Repole said.

A disappointing third on debut as the heavy favorite on opening day at Saratoga, Chocolate Gelato ran to those lofty expectations next time out, airing in front-running fashion with a career-best 92 Beyer a month later at the Spa. The $165,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling and $475,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-old showed a different dimension over a sloppy track going a one-turn mile in the Frizette, rallying through traffic from fifth with a blitz on the far turn en route to a professional-looking one-length victory.

She will seek to become the ninth filly to pull off the Frizette/Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies double. Bred in Kentucky by Vince Colbert, Chocolate Gelato's deep female family includes GISWs Imagining, Rhythm, Girolamo and Super Saver. She makes her two-turn debut in the Juvenile Fillies.

“She sat behind horses, got mud in her face and she fought down the stretch,” Repole said of Chocolate Gelato's Frizette win. “She's on the backstretch sitting in fourth or fifth on the inside and I said to everyone around me, 'If this is a good horse, she's gonna win this race because this is a really tough spot.' She was 8-5, but at that point, if there were live odds, I would've made her 6-1. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] said she came through willingly and the rest is history.”

That Top 1% of 1%…

It's been a season to remember for the division-leading Nest, led by a trio of jaw-dropping Grade I victories against her peers in Keeneland's GI Central Bank Ashland S. and Saratoga's GI Coaching Club American Oaks and GI Alabama S. Also a solid second as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Oaks, the $350,000 Keeneland September graduate ran terrific in defeat once again after stumbling at the start against the boys in the final leg of the Triple Crown. The Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House colorbearer punched her ticket to Lexington with an effortless 9 3/4-length win while taking on older fillies and mares for the first time in the GII Beldame S. at Aqueduct.

“I've been so blessed to have Grade I, special horses,” Repole said. “The only horse I've owned that I can even remotely at this time compare her to is Uncle Mo. Uncle Mo had the brilliance of that top 1% of 1%. Nest has that. She's a once-in-a-lifetime filly and she's coming back next year. She's just getting better.”

Nest may be favored in a Distaff field for the ages that also includes her champion 'Rising Star' stablemate Malathaat (Curlin), MGISW Clairiere (Curlin) and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Oath (Arrogate).

“I dreamed of watching races like this as a kid,” Repole said. “Forget that she's potentially the favorite. It's an honor and a blessing just to be in a race like this.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables–also the breeders of Mo Donegal–Nest is one of 19 top-level winners for the mighty Curlin. Her full brother GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin), campaigned by Calvin Nguyen, will begin his career at stud as a Repole Stable/Taylor Made Stallions Venture in 2023. Their 2-year-old stakes-winning half-brother Lost Ark (Violence), a troubled sixth in the Breeders' Futurity, is entered in the Juvenile.

“I've been following Idol's career since the day we purchased Nest as a yearling,” Repole said. “A few weeks after we bought Nest, Idol broke his maiden and showed incredible talent. It was very exciting when he won a Grade I in California. Now with Nest and Idol both being Grade I winners, I'm excited about both of their future potentials–Idol as a stallion, and Nest, one day in the future, as a broodmare.”

Strength in Numbers…

Smart money says that you're going to be seeing a lot more of Repole in the coming years at the Championships. The co-founder of Glaceau Vitaminwater (sold to Coca-Cola for a reported $4.1 billion in 2007) and the sports drink BodyArmor (which also sold to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion in 2021) and Viola's St. Elias Stables led all buyers for the second straight year at the Keeneland September sale, purchasing 31 yearlings in partnership for $12.84 million ($414,194 average).

In addition to Forte, Repole and St. Elias, of course, teamed up to campaign 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner and champion older dirt male Vino Rosso (Curlin), himself a $410,000 KEESEP graduate. Now standing at Spendthrift Farm, Vino Rosso was represented by a first-crop filly that brought $550,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“It's been a good run, so I stepped it up a little bit,” Repole said. “I thought I was being too cheap, so I decided to spend a little bit more money last year and this year. I say I do this with 5% of my time. I think I'm gonna increase it to 10%, so let's see what happens.”

With an emphasis on creating stallions, Repole, either alone or in partnership, purchased a total of 70 yearlings at Keeneland September for a total of $26.67 million. Some of Repole's other high-profile partners include: Coolmore, Eclipse, West Point, Spendthrift and Gainesway.

“At first, I was really against partnerships,” Repole said. “I kinda wanted to call the shots. But at the end of the day, you know what? Number one, it builds relationships and partnerships that are very important to me. And number two, would you rather own 50% of 100 horses? Or 50 horses at 100%. I'd rather double my chances, or in certain ways, triple my chances.

“What I'm most proud of with the seven Grade I wins this year is that you've got my partnership with Eclipse with Nest, Forte with my friend Vinnie Viola, Mo Donegal with Donegal Racing and Chocolate Gelato, who is 100% Repole. It's pretty cool to have those four horses, own 50% or more on all of them and have all these different partners.

Repole concluded, “We want to win, we want to have fun and we want to share success. Those are the goals of the stable.”

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Letter to the Editor: Mike Sekulic

Was Flightline's Pacific Classic the best performance since Secretariat's Belmont (as Bill Finley asked in The Week in Review in Monday's TDN)? Although it was great, the obvious answer is no, because we have witnessed many incredible races over the last nearly 50 years. But comparing and contrasting racehorses (and their best performances), and wondering how they stack up against each other, is part of what makes horse racing exciting and interesting. Secretariat's stupendous effort in the last leg of the Triple Crown was very likely the best performance by a racehorse. Flightline's stunning effort (specifically, the margin of victory) may have looked slightly better due to substandard competition.

Secretariat broke Gallant Man's 16-year-old track record by 2 3/5th seconds while running 2:24 in his historic tour de force in the 1973 Belmont S., at the demanding 12-furlong distance. Flightline missed the track record by less than 1/5th second in his 1:59 2/5 romp at 10-furlongs.

Many other horses over the years have run 1:59 2/5, or better, for 10-furlongs, including Spectacular Bid (world record), Quack, Secretariat, Affirmed, J.O. Tobin, Ghostzapper, Skip Away, Alysheba, In Excess, Candy Ride, Game On Dude, Best Pal, Gentlemen, Crystal Water, Ancient Title, Kennedy Road, Native Diver, and John Henry (via DQ…but he was only a nose behind). The list goes on and on, actually. Oh, and let us not forget Ancient Title's powerhouse victory in the 1977 Del Mar H., when it was contested at “120 feet less than 10-furlongs” and he ran 1:55 2/5, which the Los Angeles Times projected translated to 1:57 3/5 for the distance, which would have been a world record.

Obviously, many excellent horses have equaled or bettered Flightline's 10-furlong time, but Secretariat's 2:24 accomplishment stands alone for the 12-furlong distance, as no one has approached his time record. The closest anyone has come was Prove Out (while defeating Secretariat) in the 1973 Woodward S. in 2:25 4/5. Easy Goer clocked in at 2:26 in his Belmont S. win over Sunday Silence, while Hechizado and Nasty And Bold matched that clocking in respective Brooklyn H. victories.

American horses of the 21st Century do not compete nearly as often as their 20th Century counterparts. Should any of today's hothouse flowers be compared to the greats of the past who raced constantly? The heroes of the 1970's were battle-tested and danced every dance. During a 3-month period in 1972, the great Susan's Girl ran eight times! Also, in 1972 Cougar II won an 11-furlong turf race in 2:11 (New American record) and was wheeled back 3 weeks later to win at 8 1/2 furlongs on dirt in 1:39 1/5 (missing the world record by 1/5th second), which is a phenomenal achievement. At the end of 1973, Secretariat ran Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 8, and Oct. 28! These horses didn't need three to six months between starts! How would today's best fare with that kind of schedule?

Over the last 10 years or so, California Chrome, Arrogate, American Pharoah, Justify, or Flightline have been crowned “the best of all-time,” or “the best horse since Secretariat.” If you know the history of the sport you understand that many excellent racehorses have come along in the time span between Secretariat, in 1973, and now. However, it seems that all these horses are ignored, and only Secretariat is remembered. Secretariat and whoever the new “greatest horse of all time” is at the moment.

Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Ruffian, and many other all-time greats, stepped into the spotlight in the wake of Secretariat's 1970's reign. However, the most astonishing thing is that when today's flavor-of-the-month bandwagon comes along, it's bad enough that the four champions mentioned above are ignored, but what's worse is that the best horse since Secretariat–Spectacular Bid–is forgotten.

Spectacular Bid was a perfect 24 for 24 in the middle-distance range of 7 to 10 furlongs, and his career total was 30 starts, 26 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third. He set multiple track records and even a world record. How does he get ignored or dismissed as these other horses are crowned heir apparent to Secretariat?

Leapfrogging over a horse like Spectacular Bid is unthinkable.

It's important to remember the great horses and performances of the past to put things in perspective and to consider that what you're witnessing now may or may not be the greatest thing that ever happened. But the discussion about great horses is fun, and Flightline surely is part of that debate.

Although the field that Flightline beat this weekend was not very strong, as evidenced by the fact that it took Country Grammer, who didn't offer his best effort, 2:03 to negotiate 10 furlongs, and the others 2:04 and much worse. Still, that takes nothing away from Flightline, because he certainly is sublime. I share the excitement and enthusiasm about him. From the standpoint of sheer talent and ability, he's as good as a horse can possibly get…maybe better.

Mike Sekulic, Thousand Oaks, CA

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Rich Strike Looks to Complete Derby/Travers Double

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Trainer Eric Reed is looking back and ahead as he prepares GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) for the GI Runhappy Travers S.

With a firm opinion of what went wrong in the Rich Strike's sixth-place finish in the GI Belmont S. June 11, Reed is expecting a much better performance in the $1.25-million signature race of the Saratoga Race Course meet Aug. 27. He will be the first Derby winner to run in the Travers since Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) finished ninth in 2017. The last horse to complete the Derby-Travers double was Street Sense (Street Cry) in 2007.

Rich Strike was the sensational and shocking winner of the Derby May 7 at odds of 80-1. Under little-known jockey Sonny Leon, he benefitted from a torrid early pace, made a run from far back and wove around a bunch of horses without checking in the stretch. Approaching the wire, he zipped past the dueling leaders, Epicenter (Not This Time) and Zandon (Upstart), on the inside to complete a storybook performance. His connections decided to skip the GI Preakness S. two weeks later and focused on the Belmont, where he turned up as an also-ran.

Reed shipped his colt from Kentucky to Saratoga Sunday and said he has him ready to start the second half of his season in America's oldest race for 3-year-olds.

“He's going to show up and run his race and if he can beat Epicenter and those horses again, good for us,” Reed said. “I know he can. He's done it once before.”

The journey to Saratoga by van was uneventful and Reed said that Rich Strike seems comfortable in his new surroundings at Dale Romans's barn. Reed and Romans have known each other since they were young trainers sharing the same barn at the old Latonia track, now Turfway Park.

“He shipped really good,” Reed said. “When he got here he was bucking and playing in the shedrow as soon as we unloaded him, so the trip didn't seem to take too much out of him.”

Though it's only been a couple of days, Reed said that Rich Strike looks to be smoothly getting over the main track, which is about 200 yards from his stall.

“He seems happier on the track,” Reed said. “He trained great at Belmont, but it seemed to me watching him that he was really putting a lot into it. Up here, he's training as hard but he's not having to put as much into it. I don't know if that's just the difference in surface or what it is, but really in the 10 weeks off he's matured a lot. He's calmed down He's just seemed like he's more relaxed about doing this and not so swelled up trying to show off so much. He's trained great.”

In the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, Reed asked Leon to keep the colt on the outside and away from traffic in the field of eight. He said he realized by the time the field reached the first turn that it was the wrong strategy. Reed said that even though the colt comes from off the pace, he is at his best when he is surrounded by the competition.

“The race was not the right race anyway, for his style,” Reed said. “I think if I hadn't given Sonny those instructions, he could have been down where he wanted to be and he would have tried a lot harder. We'd never, ever had him out in the middle of the track in any race. He's run in the center of the track in the Derby, but he had horses all around him on both sides. And we just learned that if he doesn't have a horse to the right, he just gets too aggressive with the horse beside him. But if they're on each side, he just wants to fight all of them and he'll run through them. I didn't know that. My God, we had one speed horse, we were the deep closer and six gallopers. I said 'the worst, you're going to be two or three wide when you got to run by them. Don't get in trouble.' It was a bad decision. You could see he had his head cocked the whole way around the turn trying to get to the inside.”

While he understands the error, Reed said he hasn't gotten past the disappointment of how the Belmont played out.

“It still haunts me,” he said. “Not because of me, but because everybody starts saying 'I told you so.' But every race that horse ran all year he ran great. The competition got better every race. The races were tougher, every race, and he kept getting better and better and better. The only bad race, or anomaly, wasn't the Derby, it was the Belmont.

Reed looks at the 1 1/4-mile Travers as a fresh start. He hopes he will get his colt to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and the division title. The veteran trainer said he was never tempted to give Rich Strike a prep for the Travers.

“No, we were going to give him a mid-summer break,” Reed said. “He needs a little bit more time between races than most horses so there was no way we could hit the [GI] Haskell S. or the [GII] Jim Dandy S. because of the timing. The Haskell was on the wrong track anyway, another track for speed horses, and it's 1 1/8 miles. We knew we wanted to give him a little break. He had come off five races, the Derby, the Belmont and then he's had six breezes. He got 30 days of light training, which to him is still pretty hard training. I think we're right where we always wanted to be.”

Reed will work Rich Strike a half-mile early Friday morning.

“'I'm not going to go fast,” Reed said. “He had a really hard work at Churchill [5f in :59.40 on Aug. 10], so I know we were fit. I'd like :49 or :50 and maybe a 1:02 gallop out.”

Reed acknowledged that the arrival of the Derby winner–the 27th in history to try the Travers–has attracted a lot of interest in Saratoga.

“They've got to come see him,” Reed said. “I guess they're all waiting to see if he's going to back the Derby race up, which I don't blame him. I'm pretty sure he'll run better than in the Belmont.”

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Mo Donegal Sidelined With Bone Bruising

Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) exited his GI Belmont S. victory with bone bruising and will be out of training for 60 days, according to a press release distributed by his owners Saturday.

Jerry Crawford, CEO of Donegal Racing, and Mike Repole said that they will share Mo Donegal's progress as he continues to be evaluated.

The GII Remsen S. and GII Wood Memorial S. winner delivered a three-length victory in the final leg of the Triple Crown for trainer Todd Pletcher following a rallying fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby.

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