Mike Repole Returns to Derby With ‘Grande' Horse, Small Expectations

Yahoo

01-05-2025

Mike Repole deeply wants to win the Kentucky Derby, but he arrives at Churchill Downs this week with tempered expectations.
The billionaire sports business executive, who is a co-founder of BodyArmor and Vitamin Water, has his 2025 hopes pinned to his 3-year-old colt Grande. Repole's horse carries 22-1 odds—an implied probability of winning below 5%—which is a vastly different outlook than last year when Repole owned the favorite Fierceness, who finished in 15th place despite a strong start.
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'There's a lot less pressure,' Repole said in a phone interview. 'I'm going in with an incredibly low expectation. I'm really feeling good right now, to be honest.'
Repole, the owner of Repole Stable, purchased Grande for $300,000 in a yearlings sale in September 2023. Earlier this month, Grande finished second to fellow Derby starter Rodriguez in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Repole's hometown of Queens, N.Y., qualifying Repole for the Derby at the same track where he grew up going to races.
Grande enters the Derby with the No. 10 post position and is looking to become just the fifth horse to win the Derby with only three career starts of experience (with the latest being Mage in 2023). The horse, sired by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, will have jockey John Velazquez in the saddle and is guided by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Both Repole and Pletcher have been in business together since 2009, steadily growing their relationship beyond a typical client-partner type.
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'Our relationship has really grown through adversity,' said Repole, who introduced two-time Derby winner Pletcher at his Hall of Fame ceremony in 2021. 'We've had a ton of highs, but we became closer through how we handled the lows together.'
One of the lowest moments between the two came two years ago when early favorite Forte was scratched just hours before the Derby due to concerns over a bruised foot. Twelve years earlier, another one of their horses, Uncle Mo, was scratched from the event due to illness.
Repole, who is 0-for-8 in the Run for the Roses,, says that he's grateful for the Derby experiences despite the heartache that has come in Louisville, Ky. He's back in town to compete in the 20-horse race for the fifth straight time, a feat that he doesn't take for granted, noting more than 20,000 thoroughbreds are born every year.
Repole, who is featured in the new Netflix series Race for the Crown, will be accompanied at the Derby by roughly 75 close friends, family members and longtime business associates. The gathering is a tradition for Repole, who acquired athletic brand NOBULL in 2023 and remains a big booster for his alma mater St. John's. He uses the first weekend in May as a moment to enjoy the Derby festivities with his inner circle. Repole joked that he's looking to win the $3 million first-place prize so he can 'break even' on the trip given the pricy accommodations between travel and hotel costs.
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'One of the things about being blessed financially is the ability to share experiences with people,' he said. 'To me, it's like a three-day holiday weekend.'
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