Repole Has Company in Return to Kentucky Derby

There are some in the sporting sphere who hold tight to the practice of acting like you've been there before. Their belief: If you let the magnitude of the situation affect you, you're vulnerable to losing the battle.

Heeding that supposed piece of wisdom is among the things owner Mike Repole could not care less about. Three times before, the ebullient entrepreneur had his colors represented in the Kentucky Derby. But if you're looking for that guy who is too cool and above it all on the Churchill Downs backside Derby week, the New York native is not it.

During his first morning in Louisville this week, he bounced into the media scrum surrounding his trainer, Todd Pletcher, and playfully jabbed the seven-time Eclipse Award winner about which of his four contenders he felt most confident about (spoiler alert: two of Pletcher's quartet are co-owned by Repole). In case anyone missed that display, Repole has made himself easy to spot—the giddy guy around Barn 40 greeting and hugging visitors like he's in a receiving line.

"Every time I come here, from the first to the second to the third, I tell my family, 'Enjoy it, because it could be the last time we're ever here,'" Repole said. "Every time I go (here), I'm just blessed to be in the race. It's not like you can just enter a horse and get in. You have to qualify … and if you got here, you must have done something pretty special along the way."

Repole brought a special one to the first leg of the Triple Crown seven years ago, only to go through the angst of having to scratch his champion Uncle Mo  a day before because of an illness. After experiencing that low point, his appreciation for simply being at Churchill on the first Saturday in May is genuine.

So are his good-natured cracks—to a degree—about how it's time for his two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer to deliver a classic win on his behalf.

It is easy to laugh when coming into the Derby with a couple contenders who are prime examples of how deep the well of quality runs in this year's expected 20-horse field. Repole co-owns Vino Rosso, winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G2), in partnership with Vincent Viola, and he campaigns Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) victor Noble Indy along with WinStar Farm.

The Repole the racing community first got to know, when Uncle Mo captured the 2010 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), is still the quick-talking, endearingly enthusiastic figure that first made the Derby walkover with future grade 1 winner Stay Thirsty  in 2011. He is committed to building his racing résumé—one that also includes such top-level winners as Overanalyze , Outwork , and Stopchargingmaria—but, like any astute businessman, he has surveyed the landscape in recent times to see how he can take his already successful venture to another level.

Though partnerships have been prominent in the sport for decades, the last couple years have seen an increased number of major operations joining resources. This year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) field is a testament to that, with nine entrants having multiple ownership interests. Last year's 10-furlong hero, the Pletcher-trained Always Dreaming, was owned by a group that included Viola.

For years, Repole was content to go it alone on the ownership side when it came to developing his stable, making it to three Kentucky Derbys with Stay Thirsty (2011), Overanalyze (2013), and Outwork (2016). But he has softened on that stance of late.

As has been the case in many of his investments, the returns have validated his course of action.

"I used to always own all my horses 100%, but in the last three (to) five years, I've watched the biggest owners in the game say, 'Let's partner up,'" Repole said. "It increases your chances of having a classic winner, or a Derby winner, or having a really nice horse. And you know … I didn't want to fight the situation, but I didn't want to embrace it. What I did was kind of observe what was going on.

"So maybe two, three years ago, I started to say that I need to do partnerships, but I'm very selective of who I partner with. To own a horse with Vinnie Viola—who I've known for a long, long time—it was amazing. … And WinStar and I have a great relationship, and I have Outwork and Overanalyze there. The great thing about the situation I'm in is, I get to choose and partner with people I like and people who have the same common interest."

An appreciation for Pletcher is among the common threads for Repole, Viola, and WinStar. At various points in their colts' development, they all had to trust that what their future Hall of Fame conditioner was telling them would ultimately manifest.

Neither Vino Rosso nor Noble Indy were on many lips when the 2018 prep season got underway, although the former did win both of his starts as a juvenile in handy fashion. Vino Rosso—purchased by Repole and Viola for $410,000 out of the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale—proved a frustrating case as he made the transition from 2 to 3. He kept working like a beast in the mornings only to finish third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) and fourth in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2).

"There was something about the Tampa track where, in back-to-back races when he got to the far turn in the same spot in both races, he started to spin his wheels, he lost a ton of momentum, and lost a ton of ground," Repole said of Vino Rosso. "Then he just came on again and he galloped out in front. It just didn't make sense. I kept telling people I was so tired of listening to Todd and (jockey) Johnny (Velazquez) tell me how this horse is outworking everybody every time he works, and then he'd never show it in the afternoons.

"I think both Johnny and Todd were probably more happy to get that win (in the Wood Memorial) than me because he was making liars out of both of them."

When Vino Rosso finally flourished in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial, where he bested multiple graded stakes winner Enticed by three lengths, Repole's chances of replacing his Derby heartache of 2011 were bolstered.

"His excitement for this race and the game in general is fantastic," Pletcher said of Repole. "It goes without saying we'd love to win (a Kentucky Derby) for him."

His business model has shifted since the last time he took aim at racing's signature 1 1/4-mile test, but the core of Repole is steadfast. He is still that guy—bantering with his trainer and surrounded by every friend and family member he can get onto the grounds—soaking in his latest Kentucky Derby experience on the off chance he doesn't get another chance.

"One day we actually really want to win this race. But who would have thought, four Derbys in eight years?" Repole said. "And I think the pressure is off Todd. Now that he's won two … hopefully by Saturday he'll have his third one, and I'll have my first one."