Repole Making Noise at Breeders' Cup Again

If Vino Rosso wins the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), it could create a scene football fans in New England will fondly recall.

Just like the sight of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after the "Deflategate" season, a Nov. 2 victory by Vino Rosso  at Santa Anita Park would unite two parties that have not always seen things eye to eye.

It's been eight years since the last time a Repole Stable runner competed in the Breeders' Cup, and judging by the more than $20 million Mike Repole's stable has earned since then, he surely could have entered a horse or two—if he wanted to.

"I could run in the Breeders' Cup every year. Everybody can," Repole said. "But it's about going there with a real chance of winning."

"Going there" was anything but appealing to Repole when he staged a one-man, one-stable boycott of the Breeders' Cup in 2012. Angered by the lack of a Breeders' Cup in his native New York since 2005 and upset at rules barring the use of Lasix in 2-year-olds, he turned Thanksgiving weekend at Aqueduct Racetrack into his own Breeders' Cup. He won three graded stakes on one card—the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1), Remsen Stakes (G2), and Demoiselle Stakes (G2)—and five stakes over the course of the weekend and delighted in each and every one of them as though they were $1 million stakes at the World Championships.

"We had horses good enough to go, but he didn't want to go," said Ed Rosen, Repole's bloodstock agent since 2010. "He had a strong opinion."

Opinions are definitely one of Repole's strong suits. As much as his racing operation has changed since he was last seen in the entry box at the Breeders' Cup, he remains as controversial as ever.

Born a brash kid from Queens, N.Y., who made his first fortune by selling Glaceau, the maker of Vitaminwater, for $4.1 billion and continues to thrive as a co-founder of the BodyArmor sports drink, he is quick to speak his mind—even if the traditionalists in the sport would be happier if he followed the lead of a monk and took a vow of silence.

"Everything he does, he does with passion and intensity," Rosen said. "He rarely takes his foot off the gas pedal. He gets frustrated by the industry not changing, especially since he's willing to change his own operation."

The 50-year-old Repole grew up frequenting Aqueduct and nearby off-track betting parlors and made a big splash as he quickly grew his stable in terms of both quantity and quality. He started with claimers in 2005 and by 2010 had a 2-year-old champion and Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner in Uncle Mo , who has become an outstanding stallion at Ashford Stud. In 2011, he won the Travers Stakes (G1) with Stay Thirsty , a Lovacres Ranch stallion.

He still loves the sport as much as ever and remains quick to speak when he sees a problem. Given all the troubling issues these days, it's been impossible for him to remain quiet.

"Years ago, I was super vocal. Go back to 2011 and 2012, and I made statements saying that if racing doesn't change, it would not be around in 10 years," Repole said. "Today, the racing industry, because of a lack of evolution and change, is on a course where if there's no racing in three to four years, I would not be surprised. And if that happens, as disappointed as I would be, you could blame no one but all of the participants in the industry. If you're a track owner like The Stronach Group or a public company like Churchill Downs or a breeder or an owner or a jockey, we have all failed to evolve the sport and make the necessary changes. 

"For years, I have asked for a commissioner to represent the sport as a whole. We have too many people looking out for their own interests. No one is looking out for the sport as a whole. That selfish attitude will kill the sport, and I'll be fine with it. I did my part. Others didn't. We dug the hole that buries us. If people ran their businesses like the sport, they'd be broke."

Ask Repole about how 2019 has unfolded for the sport and he will not pull any punches, calling it "a national embarrassment."

"It's been a year of national embarrassment for horse racing. From the issues we've had at Santa Anita to how they handled it and how the entire sport handled it, it was a national embarrassment. Then you have the Kentucky Derby (G1). The biggest race on the biggest platform and a chance for us to win back some fans, and we have a 20-minute inquiry that people don't even know what they are looking at."

Mindful of his outspoken nature, Repole understands why organizations are not knocking on his door asking him to become a board member.

"No one wants me on their board," he said, "because I have an opinion that's best for the sport, not just for that board. I'm not a puppet."

Yet for all the dire warnings he issues, Repole still has a deep passion for spending a day at the races and watching his horses run while accompanied by a small army of family and friends, led by his wife, Maria, and young daughter, Gioia.

"I think he's as passionate as ever. He's very excited about the Breeders' Cup and his Uncle Mo babies and some yearlings we bought in September," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Vino Rosso and has teamed with Repole for the bulk of the stable's 892 wins. "Mike's a unique personality. He has a great mind and enjoys the competition, more so when he wins. He probably operates on less sleep than 99.9% of the population."

Vino Rosso, a son of Curlin , is foremost on the New Yorker's mind these days. Owned by Repole in a partnership with Vincent Viola's St. Elias Stable, Vino Rosso won the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) last year at 3. He is coming off a controversial performance under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) when he and Code of Honor staged a furious stretch duel. Vino Rosso reached the wire first by a nose but was disqualified for bumping with Code of Honor and was placed second behind his 3-year-old rival in a decision that upset the colt's connections to no end.

"It was frustrating," Pletcher said. "I feel bad for the horse, for Mike, and the Violas. To me, it was a tough call. The normal criteria for disqualifying a horse is when they make an opponent alter course, or steady or check, or bump them off stride, and none of those happened."

Vino Rosso will get a rematch with Code of Honor in the Classic. They are listed as the 4-1 program co-second choice behind the favored McKinzie.

"I am going in with full confidence," said Repole, who bought Vino Rosso with Viola for $410,000 from the Glennwood Farm consignment at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "He's peaking at the right time. I wouldn't trade places with anyone. We have some unfinished business."

Vino Rosso heads into Saturday's 1 1/4-mile test as anything but your typical East Coast shipper. In May, he shipped to California and won the 10-furlong Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1), giving him the invaluable advantage of a winning trip on the racetrack.

"I thought ahead. I knew 'Vino' loved a mile and a quarter, and in my heart I knew this would be his best year. I did something I never did before and sent him to California for a race over the track," Repole said. "It checked every single box."

Rosen will tell you Vino Rosso reflects how Repole's involvement in the game has changed in recent years but not his passion for it.

"Mike knows more about pedigrees now and has a greater appreciation of the bigger races. They turn him on. Being in a Triple Crown race or the Breeders' Cup Classic means more to him than it did in the beginning when he had the claimers," Rosen said.

Now that he's become more involved in the industry, Repole adjusted his business model and has taken on partners. In Viola, owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers, he has both a partner and good friend.

"Vin is an older brother to me. I've always had respect for Vinnie and his family. We share the same Italian heritage, and our families love each other. Winning a race with my wife, and Vinnie and his wife (Teresa) and our friends, it's like one big Italian party."

Saturday will be the final race of Vino Rosso's career before he heads off to life as a stallion at Spendthrift Farm, and as you might expect, Repole will not mince words about it. It's going to be a weekend of celebration.

"We're going to go out to California to have fun," he said. "We will celebrate Friday, and if we win Saturday, we'll celebrate some more. And if we lose Saturday, we'll celebrate even harder. Vino Rosso may not be the favorite, but he's the horse to beat."