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After last year’s heartbreak, Mike Repole is back in same spot for Kentucky Derby 150

john clay
·4 min read

Mike Repole has a message for people about Mike Repole: Don’t feel sorry for Mike Repole.

“I mean I’ve got a pretty awesome life,” the 55-year-old New York native said last week.

You could say that. According to Forbes magazine, Repole is worth $1.6 billion. He helped start Glaceau, the company behind Vitaminwater and Smartwater, then sold it to Coca-Cola for $4 billion in 2007. He then sold Bodyarmor SuperDrink to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion. (Kobe Bryant was a major investor.) He owns the sportswear company NoBull with a fellow named Tom Brady.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” Repole repeated.

A year ago, people did feel sorry for Repole. He owned probable Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, who was scratched by the state veterinarian the morning of the race. Lightning strikes twice. Back in 2011, Repole owned the probable Derby favorite Uncle Mo, who also scratched out of the race.

“I’m 0-for-7 in the Derby and 0-for-2 with favorites,” Repole said last Saturday. “Hopefully, I’m not 0-for-10.”

That’s because, exactly one year later, Repole is back, this time with a homebred who is the Kentucky Derby 150 morning line favorite in Fierceness, last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion and this year’s runaway Grade 1 Florida Derby winner.

“That’s one out of 20,000 (foals) and to come back a year later (with the favorite),” Repole said. “This is not normal.”

By all accounts, Fierceness is not normal. The son of City of Light by the mare Nonna Bella by Stay Thirsty, he won his career debut last August before finishing seventh on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on Oct. 7. Fierceness bounced back in a big away on a dry track to win the Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3, earning 2-year-old champion honors.

Kentucky Derby contender Fierceness makes a face as owner Mike Repole helps clean him after a workout Friday morning at Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Derby contender Fierceness makes a face as owner Mike Repole helps clean him after a workout Friday morning at Churchill Downs.

He opened his 3-year-old campaign with a rusty third-place finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 3. Fierceness then rebounded in impressive fashion to dominate the Florida Derby by a ridiculous 13 1/2 lengths on March 30.

“Todd is a big San Antonio Spurs fan and compares him to Tim Duncan,” Repole said after Fierceness worked a half-mile in :48.80 at Churchill Downs this past Saturday. “You know, like, chill, relaxed. The only time you know he’s really good is when he works and he runs. Other than that you wouldn’t pick him out, you know.”

Todd is Todd Pletcher. He’s not normal, either. The 56-year-old Hall of Fame trainer has won over 5,700 races, eight Eclipse Awards for outstanding trainer, and a pair of Kentucky Derbys — Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. Pletcher has also shared last year’s heartbreak with Repole.

“In this type of business you got to be pretty resilient, you gotta bounce back,” Pletcher said last week. “But you’re always gonna have those ‘what if’ moments. That one’s gonna linger for awhile.”

Repole will tell you he is definitely not normal. He loves his friends, his family, the New York Mets (thus his blue-and-orange silks), his alma mater St. John’s (and Rick Pitino), and thoroughbred racing (he recently bought a house in Lexington). Oh yeah, Repole loves to have fun.

“It’s entertaining,” said Pletcher, who picked Repole to deliver his Hall of Fame introduction speech in 2021. “It was one of the best hour and a halves of everyone’s lives.”

Kentucky Derby favorite Forte was scratched the morning of last year’s race after being examined by Kentucky chief veterinarian Nick Smith, right, after a bruise on the colt’s right foot was discovered earlier in the week.
Kentucky Derby favorite Forte was scratched the morning of last year’s race after being examined by Kentucky chief veterinarian Nick Smith, right, after a bruise on the colt’s right foot was discovered earlier in the week.

Yes, Repole loves to talk. He tried to talk the state vet out of scratching Forte a year ago. (The colt went on to finish second in the Belmont.) After Fierceness’ Saturday work, Repole spent 20 minutes with the media, talking up Fierceness, Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez before being FaceTimed by his 8-year-old daughter Gioia.

“What grades does your daddy want you to get?” Repole asked Gioia. “That’s right, C’s. The A students work for the C students.”

But as for rehashing last year, “I felt bad for 24 hours. Half of it was because of Todd and our families. My parents are 84 and 78. You know, Todd’s parents are in their 80s. You don’t know what next year is gonna bring, you know, and for us to have both sets of parents and be in our 50s and have them here. Winning the Derby this year would be a lot better than 20 years from now.”

And what would it mean to Pletcher to give Repole that elusive Kentucky Derby win?

“I think it’d be awesome,” the trainer said. “Certainly with the disappointments we’ve had, he deserves one.”

Mike Repole, owner of Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness, talks with the media on the backside of Churchill Downs.
Mike Repole, owner of Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness, talks with the media on the backside of Churchill Downs.

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