In Sharper Focus: Sudden Surprise

On July 30, 2011, 2-year-old Repole Stable colorbearer Giant Surprise graduated in his Saratoga debut by 4 1/2 lengths earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure under the care of trainer Todd Pletcher and ridden by Johnny Velazquez. The bay sustained a non-displaced, condylar fracture to his left foreleg during the race and was retired to stud. Fast forward exactly four years and Giant Surprise has hit another milestone–his first starter and his first winner in the Velazquez ridden, Pletcher trained Repole runner Sudden Surprise.

Mike Repole said the calendar coincidence made the win especially meaningful.

“That actually makes the win even more special,” the owner stated. “That's really, really cool.”

“Giant Surprise was a horse who Todd and I were very high on when he was training in Saratoga,” Repole continued. “Giant Surprise won by about 4 1/2 lengths and, unfortunately, he never made it back to the winner's circle. He had one start and had a lot of promise. I made the decision to make him a New York stallion and three years later to have his first baby run at Saratoga and win first out like his dad is great. What made it even better was he made it to the winner's circle and got to take that photo.”

Giant Surprise, who Repole purchased as a $130,000 Keeneland September yearling, began his stud career at Vinery New York and now stands at Rockridge Stud for $2,500. Repole has a total of seven Giant Surprise juveniles, four with Pletcher, two with Bruce Levine and one still on the farm. Repole acquired Sudden Surprise's dam Ready and Good for $67,000 as an OBS March

2-year-old in 2010. She made just one start in her career, finishing second in a maiden claimer at Saratoga. Repole said the win was particularly sweet since he owns both the dam, the sire and the horse.

“I've been in the game a while now and to win with a horse that you own is so special. To win a race with a horse you own and a mare you own is really special. To win a race with a mare, a stallion and a horse you own is like hitting a trifecta.”

3rd-SAR, $73,000, (S), Msw, 7-30, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.14, sy.
+SUDDEN SURPRISE (c, 2, Giant Surprise–Ready and Good, by More Than Ready), bet down to 9-2 off a 6-1 morning line in this debut, caught a flyer from the bell through the sloppy going and never looked back. The Repole homebred rattled off splits of :22.67 and :46.06 while well off the pine. Fish Trappe Road (Trappe Shot) tried to make a race of it in midstretch and made up some late ground, but the bay maintained his open-length advantage all the way to the line to win by 2 3/4 lengths. It was 10 1/4 lengths back to the rest of the field. Sudden Surprise, the first foal for Ready and Good, is the first starter and first winner for his freshman sire (by Giant's Causeway), who broke his maiden over the Spa main for the same owner/trainer/jockey combo four years ago to the day. Also campaigned by Mike Repole, Ready and Good has visited a former Repole-owned runner every year at stud, producing fillies by GII Sanford S. hero Overdriven (Tale of the Cat) in 2014 and MGISW Stay Thirsty (Bernardini) in 2015. She was bred to Repole's 2010 champion juvenile and MGISW Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) for 2016. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $43,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O/B-Repole Stables LLC (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.