By Steve Sherack
LEXINGTON, KY – Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola bought 43 yearlings for more than $16 million to top the sheets for the first of two straight years at the 2021 Keeneland September sale.
'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), a $110,000 purchase out of that auction, made good on the duo's significant investment in the industry by capping his 2-year-old season with a championship-worthy performance for trainer Todd Pletcher in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Repole Stable, Viola's St. Elias Stable and Pletcher previously teamed up to capture the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Classic with Vino Rosso (Curlin).
“Having Vinnie and Teresa [Viola] as partners, it's extended family,” said Repole, who, of course, also won the 2010 Juvenile with leading sire Uncle Mo. “Winning a race with them is always more fun. We're very blessed.”
Looking for his third straight win at the top level following scores in Saratoga's GI Hopeful S. and local GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, Forte was off as the second choice at 5-1.
Sitting a dream trip on the inside in fifth as heavily favored Bob Baffert-trained California invader 'Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate) mixed it up on the front end through fractions of :22.90 and :47.01, Forte was switched off the rail and unleashed a visually appealing sweeping blitz–just as he did while making his two-turn debut in Lexington last time–on the far turn.
Forte was all the way out in the six path as Cave Rock, still racing on his left lead, kicked for home on top as they entered Keeneland's short stretch.
Forte kept on coming on the outside with a steady series of left handers from Irad Ortiz, Jr., struck the front near the sixteenth pole and won going away by 1 1/2 lengths over Cave Rock. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to the latter's stablemate National Treasure (Quality Road) in third.
Forte became the 13th Breeders' Cup winner for Pletcher and his third in the Juvenile.
“He got a beautiful trip,” Pletcher said. “Just kept coming. I think we both got a fair run at it today. He got that two-turn experience [in the Breeders' Futurity] and it paid off today.”
Ortiz, Jr., a 15-time Breeders' Cup winner, added, “Beautiful trip. I broke good, saved some ground around the first turn and took my time down the backside. I started making my move around turn. I hit him once and he responded. He deserves all the credit.”
Looking to be any kind with a blowout debut win at Belmont Park in late May, Forte has been unbeatable in three starts at the top level since a disappointing fourth-place finish as the favorite in Saratoga's GIII Sanford S. The countdown to the first Saturday in May starts now.
“This horse has been winning in, honestly, mile-and-a-quarter performance, and looks like he's looking to get better and better,” Repole said.
It's been some run in 2022 for the native New Yorker, who celebrated a lifelong dream winning the GI Belmont S. with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo).
“My whole family thinks you just show up and you win a Grade I and that that's normal,” Repole said. “I think it's eight [Grade I wins in 2022] now. I'm not fooled about how blessed I am that this is happening.”
Pedigree Notes:
Forte is one of six Grade I winners for Violence, who is also responsible for 39 stakes/14 graded winners. Violence's MGISW Dr. Schivel was a painful second in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame is the broodmare sire of five graded stakes winners. Forte's dam Queen Caroline was purchased by Amy Moore of South Gate Farm for $170,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale. The mare went on to win four stakes in Moore's colors before becoming one of the Virginia farm's first broodmares. Forte is the mare's first foal. She has a yearling colt by Uncle Mo, who brought $850,000 from Mayberry Farm at Keeneland September. She was bred to Not This Time for 2023. This is the extended female family of champion 2-year-old filly Folklore (Tiznow).
Friday, Keeneland
FANDUEL BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE PRESENTED BY THOROUGHBRED AFTERCARE ALLIANCE-GI, $1,840,000, Keeneland, 11-4, 2yo, c/g, 1 1/16m, 1:43.06, ft.
1–FORTE, 122, c, 2, by Violence
1st Dam: Queen Caroline (MSW, $401,608), by Blame
2nd Dam: Queens Plaza, by Forestry
3rd Dam: Kew Garden, by Seattle Slew
'TDN Rising Star' ($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable & St Elias Stable; B-Southgate Farm (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz Jr. $1,040,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0, $1,595,150. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cave Rock, 122, c, 2, Arrogate–Georgie's Angel, by Bellamy Road. 'TDN Rising Star' ($210,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $550,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Michael E Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-Anne & Ronnie Sheffer Racing LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $340,000.
3–National Treasure, 122, c, 2, Quality Road–Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro. ($500,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan; B-Peter E Blum Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $180,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 5.02, 0.47, 8.00.
Also Ran: Blazing Sevens, Curly Jack, Verifying, Hurricane J, Congruent, Wound Up, Lost Ark. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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