Repole Homebred Runs Up The Score, Named a ‘Rising Star’

Mike Repole knows a thing or two about impressive Saratoga maiden winners.

On the 28th of August, 2010, Repole and Todd Pletcher unleashed a son of Indian Charlie and Playa Maya (Arch) named Uncle Mo, who made a quote of 9-10 seem like a Travers Day gift when rolling home by better than 14 lengths in 1:09.21 to become a 'TDN Rising Star.' Fast forward some 4,742 days and second-generation Repole homebred Fierceness (c, 2, City of Light) put on a show of his own–one day  the marquee race of the meeting, much to Repole's 'chagrin'–turning Friday's sixth race into a one-horse rodeo in scoring by 11 1/4 dominating lengths to become a no-brainer 'Rising Star', the third for his Lane's End-based stallion.

The third foal, but the first to race out of Nonna Bella (Stay Thirsty), Fierceness traded at 7-5 into the final stages of the wagering, but the tote read even money when the gates flew and from there, it was effectively all over bar the shouting. The bay found the front with relative ease, but had a bit of early company in the form of 24-1 Billal (Street Sense) and went by the half-mile pole having covered the opening quarter in a smart :22.02. Still well within the grasp of Irad Ortiz, Jr., Fierceness got half-mile in :44.65 over the heavily rain-affected strip, and when asked for a bit of a kick three-sixteenths of a mile from home, opened up on his scuffling rivals with each powerful stride. Despite being taken in hand for the final 100 yards, he crossed the wire in a race of his own, as the well-backed Air of Defiance (Quality Road) outfinished Billal for second.

“He was training really, really well, but until you get them behind the gate, get him in the paddock….he was doing everything right,” Repole told Maggie Wolfendale on Saratoga Live. “He's so smart, he moved away quickly, 1:09 2/5. That's a pretty fast time. I feel badly for Nest because she might have the second-best Repole Stable performance today. This was really special.”

Repole paid $200,000 for second dam Nonna Mia–named in honor of his grandmother–at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and she was a gifted 2-year-old in her own right, winning her maiden by 12 lengths at second asking at Belmont Park before finishing third to stablemate Devil May Care (Malibu Moon) in the 2009 GI Frizette S. Nonna Mia, a close relative of MGSW sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile), was an immediate hit in the breeding shed, first producing the multiple stakes-placed Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor) before a mating with Uncle Mo resulted in Outwork, the 2016 GI Wood Memorial S. hero. Nonna Mia's yearling colt by Into Mischief colt sells through Lane's End as hip 261 during Book 1 of the upcoming Keeneland September Sale.

Nonna Bella, the third foal out of Nonna Mia, is a daughter of Repole's 2011 GI Travers S. hero Stay Thirsty (Bernardini). The yearling full-brother to Fierceness also goes under the hammer at Keeneland (hip 1390), and Nonna Bella foaled a filly by Caravaggio before visiting Uncle Mo this term.

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-25, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.56, my, 11 1/4 lengths.
FIERCENESS, c, 2, by City of Light
1st Dam: Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty
2nd Dam: Nonna Mia, by Empire Maker
3rd Dam: Holy Bubbette, by Holy Bull
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

O-Repole Stable; B-Repole Stable Inc (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher.

 

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Practical Joke’s Trust Fund Scores at First Asking in Saratoga

7th-Saratoga, $88,000, (S), Msw, 8-11, 2yo, 6f, 1:12.00, ft, 2 1/4 lengths.
TRUST FUND (c, 2, Practical Joke–Mo Savings, by Uncle Mo) played a bit of bumper cars with Inonit (Include) at the jump after rival drawn farther out veered in on them, but managed to recover well enough to lock horns in a speed duel before then taking over the lead approaching the half in :45.85. Four wide and driving on a clear advantage coming for home, Trust Fund kept to his task to come in 2 1/4 lengths best over Canigetaloan (Leofric). The first to the races for a young mare, the winner has a yearling half-sister by Vekoma, who sells as hip 349 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale at Saratoga Springs Aug. 13–and a 2023 half-sister by Tacitus. Mo Savings is herself a full-sibling to GSP Clipthecouponannie (Uncle Mo) and hails from the female family of SW Pretty Boy Freud (Freud), who was a staple in the New York Stallion series stakes, through his full-sister MSW Lights Off Annie, the second dam. Sales history: $150,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $48,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Repole Stable; B-Windylea Farm-New York, LLC (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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MGSW Fearless Arrives At Old Friends

MGSW Fearless (Ghostzapper) was welcomed to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Kentucky on Wednesday, Aug. 2, the organization said in a release early Friday.

The 7-year-old bay gelding, who was last seen running fifth June 10 at Belmont Park in the GII True North S., was retired to the farm by his owner, Mike Repole, a longtime supporter of Old Friends. According to Equibase he amassed eight wins over 19 starts and over $1.2-million in career earnings.

“Fearless was a gutsy and determined racehorse with the perfect name,” said Repole. “The stable really thought Old Friends would be a great place for him to spend the rest of his career with other great horses. I'm thrilled people will be able to visit him at Old Friends.”

Bred by the Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust and foaled in Kentucky on Mar. 17, 2006, Fearless was initially owned by China Horse Club International and WinStar Farm, and trained his entire career by Todd Pletcher.

“No one has been better to Old Friends and his horses than Mike Repole,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “We are grateful to him for several retirees, especially Fearless who won a Saratoga stakes race named for another Old Friends resident, Birdstone. And he's gorgeous. Fearless, that is!”

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Wet Paint Surges Late to Claim the CCA Oaks

Favored to earn her first taste of Classic glory in the GI Kentucky Oaks in May, Godolphin's Wet Paint (Blame) could only manage a fourth-place finish behind stablemate Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief). Fast forward through a runner-up effort in Ellis's Monomoy Girl S. last month followed by a trek to upstate New York, the bay finally bagged her own Grade I, taking Saturday's Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

“She's a super consistent filly who always comes running,” said trainer Brad Cox, who won the 2018 renewal of the Oaks with subsequent champion Monomoy Girl. “Her run in the [Kentucky] Oaks was good and her last race at Ellis was probably better than it looked on paper running against a huge bias with no pace. I'm glad she stepped up and finally got that Grade I–that was big for her.”

GSW Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile) stumbled dramatically leaving the innermost stall, spotting the field several lengths while 14-1 chance She's Lookin Lucky (Lookin At Lucky) and Sacred Wish (Not This Time) enjoyed cleaner starts and proceeded directly to the head of affairs. In the meantime, Wet Paint was unhurried in last, about four lengths off of She's Lookin Lucky, who registered a comfortable opening quarter in :24.67 as Sacred Wish and the awkward starting Southlawn pursued in second and third, respectively. Still content to linger out back through an equally modest half in :48.81, Wet Paint launched her bid heading to the quarter pole as Sacred Wish forged to the front and appeared to be en route to victory. Wet Paint, however, had other ideas. Fanned out several paths wide straightening for home, the 7-5 second choice slowly reeled in game leader in the final jumps and nailed her rival by a neck at the wire. Favored Gambling Girl was a long way back in third, finishing ahead of She's Lookin Lucky and Southlawn.

“She closes into soft paces like she did today, she closes into a fast pace,” said Cox. “This is her thing in regards to just kind of flopping out of the gate and finding her way and finishing up. I told Flavien [Prat] today, 'Just ride her like a turf horse.' He knows what to do and you don't have to tell him anything. That's really what it comes down to–just let her break and kind of find her way around there, and when she starts picking up, just keep her out of trouble.”

Added Prat, “Turning for home I thought I was going to win, at the eighth pole I was questioning it, and then she finally found another gear to get by that filly. We went slow and we really picked it up and the filly of George Weaver's kept on going, but she was able to get the win.”

Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) was scratched the morning of the race after sustaining a minor foot issue, via a Tweet posted by trainer Tom Amoss Saturday morning.

“Hoosier Philly was not herself this morning with a minor foot issue. Out of an abundance of caution, agreement with the state vets, & doing the right thing by her, she will be withdrawn from the CCAO. We look forward to getting back to the track in the future.”

On the board in two of three starts last season, Wet Paint kicked off the season with a win in Oaklawn's Martha Washington S. before adding wins in a sloppy renewal of the GIII Honeybee S. and GIII Fantasy S. ahead of her Classic bid.

Cox said Wet Paint will likely target the 10-furlong GI Alabama S. Aug. 19 at the Spa.

“That's the logical spot moving forward,” Cox said. “We'll talk it over with the Godolphin team, but I think a mile and a quarter is definitely something she's going to be able to handle based off her running style and showing today that she likes Saratoga.”

 

Pedigree Notes:
Wet Paint is one of 21 graded winners and 45 black-type winners for Claiborne's Blame, who also has six winners at the highest level. Three of those six Grade I winners are out of Mr. Prospector-line broodmare sires, making them inbred to that prolific Claiborne stalwart. Wet Paint herself is 4×4 to Mr. Prospector and her damsire, Darley's late Street Cry (Ire), is responsible for 140 stakes winners out of his daughters. The CCA Oaks winner is Blame's second Grade I winner at the Spa following Marley's Freedom, who won the 2018 Ballerina S.

A second-generation Godolphin homebred after Darley acquired the family from Stonerside, Wet Paint has a yearling half-sister by Medaglia d'Oro. Dam Sky Painter, who hails from the same family as 2020 GII Del Mar Derby winner Pixelate (City Zip) and whose third dam is four-time GISW Nastique (Naskra), most recently produced a filly by Not This Time Apr. 26.

 

Saturday, Saratoga
COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $485,000, Saratoga,
7-22, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.68, ft.
1–WET PAINT, 121, f, 3, by Blame
                1st Dam: Sky Painter (GSP, $169,755), by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Skylighter, by Sky Mesa
                3rd Dam: Painted Lady, by Broad Brush
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 9-5-2-0, $1,057,175. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sacred Wish, 121, f, 3, by Not This Time– Indian Wish, by Indian Charlie. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $70,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP; $50,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher T. Dunn and Anthony Spinazzola; B-John Penn (KY); T-George Weaver. $100,000.
3–Gambling Girl, 121, f, 3, by Dialed In–Tulipmania, by Empire Maker. ($200,000 Ylg '21 SARAUG). O-Repole Stable; B-Gallagher's Stud (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $60,000.
Margins: NK, 8HF, HF. Odds: 1.45, 10.80, 1.20.
Also Ran: She's Lookin Lucky, Southlawn. Scratched: Hoosier Philly.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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