Repole Stable | Horse Racing Free Tips

Nest Romps in Beldame

Nest tuned up for her engagement in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland next month with an effortless victory in the GII Beldame S. at Aqueduct Sunday. Making her first start against her elders, the 1-9 favorite broke well from her inside post and was on the lead in the early strides before allowing Travel Column (Frosted) to take over heading into the first turn. Nest settled into third as Travel Column set the tempo with First to Act tracking in second as the quarter went up in :24.52 and the three fillies lined up across the track after a half in :49.01. Three wide on the far turn, Nest floated wider into the lane, but once straightened she produced an emphatic burst of speed to power clear to an 9 3/4-length victory.

“I was a passenger,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. “She's doing so good right now. I broke good. Before, she used to break a step slow. Now, the last couple of times she's been breaking good out of there and that's a big advantage because I don't have to use that much. She put herself in the race and I just waited for my time to go. In the turn, I stayed away from the other horses because I was already going by them a little early, but I don't get in her way. I stayed away a little bit just to keep her there and let her do her thing.”

Winner of the GI Ashland S. in April, Nest was second in the GI Kentucky Oaks and against the boys in the GI Belmont S. She staked her claim to the top of the 3-year-old fillies division this summer at Saratoga with wins in the July 23 GI Coaching Club American Oaks and Aug. 20 GI Alabama S.

“She's going to race at four,” said co-owner Mike Repole. “She's so special. She's by Curlin and she's getting better. Those were three 'wow' performances we just saw out of her and she's improving every start. It's great for racing. She's a special filly.”

Repole will hold a strong hand at the Breeders' Cup, with Nest joined by GI Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) and GI Hopeful S. and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Forte (Violence).

“Nest will probably be a top two or three favorite [in the Distaff],” he said. “Chocolate Gelato will be first or second choice [in the Juvenile Fillies], Forte will probably be first or second choice [in the Juvenile]. It's been an incredible blessing this year. Seven Grade Is and horses like this have made this year incredible.”

Pedigree Notes:

Marion Ravenwood, the dam of last year's GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin), has also been represented this year by Sapling S. winner Lost Ark (Violence). The 14-year-old mare, a half-sister to graded placed Abstraction, was barren in 2021 and 2022 and was bred to Curlin this spring. She was purchased by co-breeder Ashview Farm for $400,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

Sunday, Belmont The Big A
BELDAME S.-GII, $242,500, Belmont The Big A, 10-9, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:52.38, ft.
1–NEST, 120, f, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners & Michael House; B-Ashview Farm &
Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 10-7-2-1, $1,873,050.
*1/2 to Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile), MSP, $156,155;
Lost Ark (Violence), SW, $177,000; Full to Idol, GISW,
$426,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–First to Act, 123, f, 4, Curlin–First Passage, by
Giant's Causeway. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Andrew
Rosen; B-AR Enterprises, LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
$50,000.
3–Hybrid Eclipse, 123, f, 4, Paynter–Super Plan, by Valid Wager.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($37,000 2yo '20 EASMAY;
$107,000 4yo '22 FTKHRA). O-The Elkstone Group, LLC
(Stuart Grant); B-Alex Venneri Racing, LLC (KY); T-Brittany T.
Russell. $30,000.
Margins: 9 3/4, 5HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.05, 9.50, 48.25.
Also Ran: Travel Column, The Grass Is Blue.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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October 8 Insights: Half to Always Dreaming, Hot Dixie Chick Debuts

2nd-KEE, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:31p.m. ET
Conditioner Brendan Walsh sends out a blue-blooded filly here in HUMBLING (Quality Road), who lays claim to a stellar female family which includes 'TDN Rising Star', GISW (and eventual producer of 'Rising Stars') Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union) and GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). The former has a pair of talented offspring to her credit when counting GISW Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and GSP Union Jackson (Curlin). Humbling, a $1 million FTSAUG purchase by Jeff Drown and Michael Ryan in 2021, claims Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) as a half-relation, who changed hands to Spendthrift Farm in 2020 for $1.5 million at FTKNOV. The dam Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}) herself earned GISP black-type with a runner-up effort in the Prioress. Humbling will break from the far outside in a full field of 12 and is coming in off a co-bullet gate work Sept. 29, covering four furlongs beneath the Twin Spires in :47.20 (1/48). TJCIS PPs

11th-KEE, $100k, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 6:18p.m. ET
Repole and St Elias Stable partner once again to send out OLD POINT (Curlin), half-brother to GISW & GI Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Collected (City Zip). Purchased as a yearling in 2020 for $475,000 at KEESEP, the chestnut is half to stakes-producer Helena's Triomphe (Arch) and hails from the family of GSP Koala Princess (More Than Ready). Bred by Three Chimneys, Runnymede, and Peter Callahan, Old Point took some time to get to the races but has made religious appearances on the work tab leading up to this debut. Todd Pletcher will send him out with Irad Ortiz Jr. getting the call for the seven panel sprint. TJCIS PPs

1st-BAQ, $95k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6fT, 12:35p.m. ET
Shipping in from Europe after being purchased for 420,000gns at TATOCT, EIN GEDI (IRE) (Oasis Dream {GB}) will carry not just the popular flag of MyRacehorse but those of Siena Farm, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber, and The Elkstone Group. Out of the stakes-winning Splashdown (GB) (Falbrav {Ire}), the filly is a half to Spanish Champion 2-year-old filly Reina Madre (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and is a full-sibling to 11-time winner, GSW Aktabantay (GB). This is the female family of Italian Champion 3-year-old filly and blue hen Proskona (Mr. Prospector), who counted nine black-type earners as the dam or granddam, and herself was half to German Highweight horse Keos. The Chad Brown barn will send Ein Gedi to post with Manny Franco in the irons. TJCIS PPs

4th-SA, $61k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 5:34p.m. ET
RILEY G (Flatter) will carry not just the torch for Zedan Racing and Bob Baffert, but also another big tag after being secured for $625,000 at OBSOPN; zipping a furlong in :9 4/5 back in June. The grey is a half to three winners, but black-type makes an appearance underneath the second dam, who claims GI Darley Alcibiades victress Wickedly Perfect (Congrats). That mare later produced Japanese GSW Hartley (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in her adoptive country after selling for $800,000 KEEJAN to Katsumi Yoshida in 2011. Also in the pedigree is stakes-producer Wicked Mizz (Mizzen Mast) and GSP Ash Zee (Exchange Rate); the latter counts GSP The Reds (Tonalist) and Zee Drop (Lemon Drop Kid). Carrying the banner for Justify is $450,000 KEESEP stablemate California Rocket, a half-sister to MGSW Global View (Galileo {Ire}) and the dam of GSP Catch the Eye (Quality Road). TJCIS PPs

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Classic Winner Mo Donegal Retired To Spendthrift

Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo–Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit), last seen validating favoritism with a three-length victory in the GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets June 11, has been retired from racing and will enter stud for the 2023 breeding season at Spendthrift Farm. He will command a fee of $20,000, stands and nurses terms.

Bred in Kentucky by the Lyster family's Ashview Stud in partnership with Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stables–also the breeders of Belmont S. runner-up and leading 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin)–Mo Donegal was purchased by Jerry Crawford's operation for $250,000 from the Ashview consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September sale and was turned over to trainer Todd Pletcher, for whom he won two of three starts as a juvenile, including a gritty defeat of future GI Toyota Blue Grass S. hero Zandon (Upstart) in a thrilling renewal of the GII Remsen S. last December.

A slow-starting, even third in the GIII Holy Bull S. on seasonal reappearance this past February, Mo Donegal bounced back with a battling tally in the GII Wood Memorial, accounting for next-out GI Preakness S. victor Early Voting (Gun Runner). It was announced by Donegal eight days prior to the running of the GI Kentucky Derby that Mike Repole had acquired a minority interest in the colt, who, sent off at just over 10-1 for the Run for the Roses, lagged well behind after breaking from the rail, was 10 wide into the lane and got home well to finish fifth, beaten just under four lengths. The 5-2 choice for the Belmont, Mo Donegal sat handier to the pace and finished up full of run to score by three lengths. In early July, Donegal reported that Mo Donegal was suffering from bone bruising and would miss 60 days. He retires to the breeding shed with a record of 4-0-2 from seven starts and earnings of $1,511,800.

“The Donegal Racing partners and I could not be more proud of Mo Donegal and the special places he took us the last two seasons,” said Crawford. “The timing of the bone bruising was unfortunate and not going to allow us to make any of our target races for the remainder of the year. We felt the best decision was to retire him, and we are excited that he'll get a wonderful opportunity to make a great stallion at a place like Spendthrift.”

Mo Donegal is one of three winners from three to the races for his dam, whose 2-year-old Pletcher-trained daughter Prank (Into Mischief), a $500,000 KEESEP purchase, was named a 'TDN Rising Star' with a powerful 9 3/4-length debut win at Saratoga July 31. Callingmissbrown is a daughter of 2004 GI Acorn S. heroine Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), herself the dam of dual Grade I-placed juvenile Maya Malibu (Malibu Moon), while the deeper female family includes Queen's Plate winner Niigon (Unbridled). Callingmissbrown is back in foal to Uncle Mo.

“It's always exciting when you can acquire a stallion prospect of the caliber of Mo Donegal, and we are thankful to Jerry Crawford, Mike Repole and the Donegal Racing partners for the opportunity,” said Ned Toffey, general manger of Spendthrift where the Repole part-owned GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin) also stands. “It's not often you can offer breeders a Classic winner by an emerging sire of sires, which Uncle Mo appears to be. On top of that, Mo Donegal is very good-looking, comes from a brilliant and active family, was a 2-year-old graded stakes winner and defeated some of the best from a pretty good crop of 3-year-olds this year. We expect him to be extremely popular, and we invite breeders to come out and see him.”

Added Pletcher: “The Classic winners that come through our program will always be special to me, and Mo Donegal showed in his Belmont Stakes win what we have always thought of him,” said Pletcher. “We went into the (Kentucky) Derby this year with a lot of confidence, but the one hole was just too much to overcome. Obviously, having trained Uncle Mo, it was nice for us to be able to campaign one of his best sons. Mo Donegal showed immense talent from the first time we breezed him at two, and he's always been a very classy, good-minded, good-looking colt. I'd have to imagine breeders will love him.”

WATCH: Mo Donegal wins the GI Belmont S.

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Violence’s Forte Bounces Back in Hopeful as Rising Stars Run 1-2-3

Repole Stable and St Elias Stable's Forte (Violence), the beaten favorite in the GIII Sanford S. on opening weekend, rebounded with an emphatic victory through the rain drops in the GI Hopeful S. on closing day at Saratoga Monday. Sent off at 6-1, the dark bay colt was squeezed back at the break and rated near the back of the field as favored Gulfport (Uncle Mo), looking to rebound from his own defeat as a Spa favorite in the Aug. 13 GII Saratoga Special, jumped out to the early lead over the sloppy track and took the field through fractions of :22.74 and :45.57. Forte was making rapid progress turning for home and, as Gulfport floated wide into the stretch, he strode powerfully to the lead along the inside and splashed home a three-length winner. Gulfport was a clear second as Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) completed the 'TDN Rising Star' trifecta.

“They ran away from me a little bit and my horse doesn't have that kind of speed,” winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. said of his trip aboard the winner. “I didn't panic, I knew we'd be in the back. I kept him in the race and in the turn I started working on him. He started to pick it up slowly, but he picked it up. At the top of the stretch, I hit him a couple times and he responded really well. I knew I had a chance to win, so I just kept him busy.”

Winning trainer Todd Pletcher said, “He came really energetic into the paddock, but it was a good energy, though. You could tell he was kind of enjoying the rain and playing in the slop and splashing in the puddles in the paddock. I love the way he kicked away from the pony, he warmed up awesome.

Forte was one of 45 yearlings purchased by the partnership of Mike Repole's Repole Stable and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables in a $16.2-million spending spree at last year's Keeneland September sale. The partnership, with bloodstock agent Jacob West signing the tickets, was the leading buyer at the auction.

“This is what we're about,” Repole said from the winner's circle Monday. “Vinnie, Todd and I made a big investment last year. The team from Jim Martin, Ed Rosen, Danielle Bricker, and Jacob West. This is what we do. It's been fun, Irad has been winning some big races for us, Todd and I have been friends for a long, long time. It's been a lot of fun.”

Forte, a much-hyped 1-5 favorite, was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his 7 3/4-length victory in his five-furlong debut at Belmont Park May 27. Favored again in the July 16 GIII Sanford S., the dark bay colt was never in the mix and finished a lackluster fourth.

“Last time, he wasn't able to get extracted into the clear until really, really late,” Pletcher explained. “When he did, he showed some interest. He came back and trained really well with some older horses. His last breeze was with Bal Harbour who won earlier on the card. There were a lot of good indications that he was going to rebound and run to his capabilities, but you never know until you see it. I felt like the added distance was in his favor and he's a nice colt.”

Looking ahead to a potential next start for Forte, Pletcher said, “Our first reaction was to go to the [Oct. 1 GI] Champagne, but we'll talk to Vinnie and Mike and come up with a game plan. The Champagne is a race we've always thought highly of and that would be first on the radar.”

Pedigree Notes:

Forte is the sixth Grade I winner for Violence, whose son Volatile also enjoyed top-level success at the Spa in the 2020 GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.

Queen Caroline was purchased by Amy Moore of South Gate Farm for $170,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale. The mare went on to win four stakes in Moore's colors before becoming one of the Virginia farm's first broodmares. Forte is the mare's first foal. She has a yearling colt by Uncle Mo who is scheduled to sell as hip 11 in next Monday's first session of the Keeneland September sale. The mare is currently in foal to Not This Time.

Monday, Saratoga
HOPEFUL S.-GI, $300,000, Saratoga, 9-5, 2yo, 7f, 1:22.58, sy.
1–FORTE, 120, c, 2, by Violence
                1st Dam: Queen Caroline (MSW, $401,608), by Blame
                2nd Dam: Queens Plaza, by Forestry
                3rd Dam: Kew Garden, by Seattle Slew
   'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
   WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable;
B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr..
$165,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $225,000. Werk Nick
   Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree
   or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gulfport, 122, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Fame and Fortune, by
Unbridled's Song. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($275,000 Ylg '21
FTKJUL). 'TDN Rising Star' O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt,
Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm LLC and Coolmore Stud;
B-Diamond Creek Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $60,000.
3–Blazing Sevens, 120, c, 2, Good Magic–Trophy Girl, by
Warrior's Reward. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE,
   1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. 'TDN Rising Star' ($140,000 Ylg '21
KEEJAN; $225,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC;
B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $36,000.
Margins: 3, 9, NK. Odds: 6.90, 1.00, 4.30.
Also Ran: Mo Strike, Bourbon Bash, Western Ghent.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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