In arguably the most entertaining interview of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland's 130-plus episode history, billionaire and high-profile owner/breeder Mike Repole sat down with Joe Bianca and Jon Green Tuesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week for a lively discussion that covered Repole's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks chances this weekend, his shared legacy with super-stallion Uncle Mo, his eight-figure donation to a nonprofit that honors his late friend Kobe Bryant and much more.
Looking for his first Derby win Saturday with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who he bought into last Friday, Repole's weekend could start with a bang Friday as his Nest (Curlin), owned in partnership with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, was given a 5-2 morning-line nod in one of the strongest Oaks fields in recent memory.
“For a Curlin to be so precocious, win the Demoiselle and come back and win two stakes this year in incredible fashion, especially in the Ashland; we all know Curlins want to be 4-year-olds, so when they're this talented at three, you've got to feel really, really good,” Repole said. “And every week that goes by, she gets older and looks better. I'm really, really excited by her, and we all know the distance is not going to be an issue. In fact, if they can move this race to a mile and a half, we'll sign up for that too.”
Asked if that means, with a win Friday, Nest could be pointed for a run against males in the GI Belmont S., Repole said, “If you're interviewing me at the end of the race and I have a smile on my face, there's a chance. But if you're not interviewing me at the end and I'm just walking to my car, then I might have a different answer. So let's just leave it at that.”
A Derby win for Repole with Mo Donegal would be sweet for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the colt's sire, who launched Repole into racing stardom on the racetrack and has since proven himself as one of the top sires at the world at Coolmore's Ashford Stud.
“It's everything,” Repole said about Uncle Mo's impact on his racing life. “Obviously I'm playing the game at a very, very high level now and [thanks to] Uncle Mo, I went from claimers you used to lose money on, to Grade I horses you lose money on, so the consistent part is you're losing money. But when he won, he gave me that taste of, 'This is why I'm in the game.' I've said before I'm probably never going to own a horse more talented or brilliant than Uncle Mo. I've had Grade I wins, I won a Classic, I won a Travers, but as far as pure brilliance, only Uncle Mo is Uncle Mo. I remember going into the paddock for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, seeing all these horses then panning over to Uncle Mo and you say, 'Who put the 3-year-old in to play with the 2-year-olds?' It was almost like a high school kid playing against third-graders. I was so nervous for like three weeks, then once I went in the paddock, I started to get nervous for the other horses. It was amazing. He was just ahead of his time. People ask if he could've gotten a mile and a quarter. He could've gotten a mile and a half. He would've been American Pharoah before American Pharoah. And you know what? He proved it in the stallion barn.”
Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers talked about what they're watching for on a monster Oaks/Derby weekend and what the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's new drug enforcement partnership could mean for racing. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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