Mindframe, Protective Classic Types From the Start

On the second Saturday in June 2022, Mike Repole achieved one of the greatest feats in the history of the Belmont Stakes (G1) when his two runners, Mo Donegal   and Nest , dashed 1-2 under the wire. A stronghold in the racing industry for the last two decades, due in part to his prolific foundation stallion Uncle Mo  , Repole set out to recapture classic glory when descending upon the Keeneland September Sale three months following his Belmont success.

Flash forward to Belmont Stakes week 2024, a pair of Repole Stable acquisitions from that Keeneland September Sale roundup, Mindframe  (owned jointly with Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stables) and Protective , will take their places in the starting gate June 8 for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Repole duo, in addition to Peter Pan Stakes (G3) victor Antiquarian  and The Wine Steward , are among the four new shooters to the Triple Crown scene.

Antiquarian, also trained by Pletcher, was another gem secured at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. Bred and later consigned by Brereton C. Jones' Airdrie Stud in Kentucky, the son of Preservationist   sold for $250,000 to Centennial Farms, the third-highest price paid for a Preservationist yearling. The chrome-splashed chestnut is a member of the first crop by his sire, who was also campaigned by Centennial Farms to victories in the 2019 Woodward (G1) and Suburban (G2) stakes.

New York-bred The Wine Steward stands alone as the sole 2-year-old purchase in the race. Picked up for $70,000 as a yearling out of co-breeder Sequel Bloodstock's consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-Bred Yearling Sale, the Vino Rosso   colt caught the attention of trainer Mike Maker following a :10 2/5 eighth-mile breeze at the 2023 Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Bidding on behalf of longtime clients Paradise Farms and David Staudacher, Maker signed the ticket on The Wine Steward for $340,000. A two-time stakes winner and grade-1 placed, The Wine Steward's bankroll if $467,260 has already surpassed his 2-year-old price tag heading into Saturday's Belmont.

Lightly raced Mindframe, second choice at 7-2 on the Belmont morning line behind Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Sierra Leone , has created a significant buzz leading into the June 8 classic. The strapping son of Constitution   has been flawless in two trips to the post for trainer Todd Pletcher. Bred in Maryland by successful Mid-Atlantic owner Larry Johnson, Mindframe became the most expensive horse produced by his stakes-winning dam Walk of Stars  when the hammer dropped for $600,000 to Repole and St. Elias from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment.

"(Mindframe) was a beautiful horse. Big, tall, leggy, but an immature horse (at the time)," said bloodstock agent Jacob West, who selected both Mindframe and Protective out of the Keeneland September Sale. "He's a May 13 foal so he just turned 3 a couple weeks ago from a calendar year standpoint. But he was a raw, immature horse that gave you a good idea that he was going to fill out into the frame that he's filled into now."

Although Mindframe was late to the Derby party, not making his first start until March 30, the colt turned in arguably the most impressive maiden-breaking performance of the year when he romped by 13 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park. Returning five weeks later at Churchill Downs, Mindframe put stamina doubts to rest with another emphatic score in a 1 1/16-mile first-level allowance race. He'll face his biggest test yet Saturday when stepping into top-level company and asked to travel the classic 1 1/4-mile distance.

"At the end of the day, he was a son of Constitution out of a Street Sense mare, which opened up all the doors and opportunities for him to get the route of ground," West said.

And then there is the case of the Medaglia d'Oro   colt Protective, a $250,000 buy from the Lane's End consignment for Repole Stable. The argument could be made that Protective is by far one of the most accomplished maidens to ever line up for the Belmont, finishing third in both the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) and recent Peter Pan Stakes.

"We've been aggressive with him in spots because we think the ability is there," West said of Protective. "When he came to Todd as a 2-year-old, Todd liked what he saw and passed that along to Mike."

West indicated that Protective's sterling pedigree made him an immediate standout at the sale for the Repole team.

"Being a son of a Medaglia d'Oro and out of Grace Hall, a grade 1-winning 2-year-old—she was a very, very nice filly by Empire Maker," West said. "And it doesn't take a genius to add up Medaglia d'Oro on top of Empire Maker to figure that that horse would fit the classic style of a two-turn dirt horse and we're hoping when he loads up on Saturday that comes to fruition."