Mike Repole

Owner Mike Repole purchased a minority interest in GI Kentucky Derby contender and GII Wood Memorial S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), ownership group Donegal Racing announced Friday. The price and ownership stake were not disclosed. Mo Donegal, a $250,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, captured Aqueduct's GII Remsen S. over future GI Toyota Blue Grass winner Zandon (Upstart). Third in the Feb. 5 GIII Holy Bull S. behind White Abarrio (Race Day) and Simplification (Not This Time), he returned to New York Apr. 9 for the Wood Memorial S., rallying...

Repole Stable's Fearless (Ghostzapper) ran to the money as the 3-5 chalk in Saturday's GIII Harlan's Holiday S., the local prep for the upcoming $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 29. Drawn widest of all in post six, he tracked a pair of dueling leaders in a dream spot in third as they made their way up the backstretch. This term's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Feb. 27 winner revved up three wide rounding the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and...

Passionate about the sport and determined to win at the highest level, partners Vinnie Viola and Mike Repole have come up with a formula they hope will mean lasting success. It's not just about quality, but quantity. Attack the game with an army of well-bred horses, most of them colts, send them to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and sit back and wait for good things to happen. In what amounts to a historic buying spree, Repole and Viola's St. Elias Stable bought 43 yearlings at Keeneland September, paying...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency SON OF CONSTELLATION DEBUTS AT GP 8th-GP, $55K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:23 p.m. Todd Pletcher unveils the latest member of the Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable colt group in COMPLETE AGENDA (Curlin). The $250,000 KEESEP buy is the first foal out of GI La Brea S. winner Constellation (Bellamy Road), who was purchased by Don Alberto for $3.15 million with this colt in utero at the 2018 FTKNOV sale. His second dam is SW For Royalty (Not For Love), who was acquired by Jane...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, with a session still to come, soared past its record gross with another day of break-neck bidding Wednesday at Newtown Paddocks. By the close of business Wednesday, 856 yearlings had sold at the October sale for a total of $39,511,600, bettering the previous record gross of $38,258,900 which was set in 2019. "Obviously, it was a continuation of the euphoria/excitement and enthusiasm throughout the day," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of the October sale's third session. "It's beyond what we could have...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale continued its frenetic pace Tuesday and figures remained ahead of record pace at the half-way point of the four-day auction. "It was a great session," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Tuesday night. "It was record-breaking in all regards: gross, average and co-highest price ever for a colt. But more important than that was the continued level of activity. There is a great RNA rate overall with people walking in there with reserves that were getting doubled and tripled. It was an...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, launched last week with a Bluegrass band, mimosas, and a boutique Book 1 section, continued its momentum straight through to the end of its 11th session, concluding with a sales record average, median and buy-back rate. The gross, which was over $300,000,000 for three straight years before falling to $248,978,700 during the pre-vaccination pandemic in 2020, rebounded to $352,823,000 by the time the last hip went through the ring Friday evening. It was the auction's sixth highest gross in history. "The hope was that we...

LEXINGTON, KY - With five sessions of selling still to come, the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale surpassed the total gross of its 12-session 2020 renewal during a final Book 3 session which featured competitive bidding through to the very end Sunday night in Lexington. By the end of business Sunday, 1,169 yearlings had sold during six sessions for a total of $278,883,000. The auction's total 2020 gross, recorded during the uncertainty of the pre-vaccination pandemic, was $200,750,700. During the two-session Book 3, 571 yearlings sold for $80,011,500 for an...

A colt by Gun Runner went to the head of the results sheet when selling for $975,000 to Jacob West at Keeneland Wednesday. West was bidding on behalf of the partnership of Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola. Todd Pletcher will train the youngster. The chestnut colt was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds. He is out of the unraced Time to Tap (Tapit), a full-sister to Winchell's champion filly Untapable and a half to Grade I winner Paddy o'Prado (El Prado {Ire}). Time to Tap is also...

How badly does New York native Mike Repole want to win the GI Belmont Stakes? Well, if the scene in the winner's circle following the eye-catching unveiling of 'TDN Rising Star' Wit (c, 2, Practical Joke--Numero d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) after a tardy start in the blockbuster card's 11:35 a.m. lidlifter was any indication, NYRA may have to start constructing a larger enclosure. "I had six horses running on Belmont day and had 50 family and friends there," Repole said. "Here he is at 2-5 and eighth after spotting the...

Jockey Eric Cancel tied a NYRA record with six wins Sunday to propel himself to a first riding title on closing day of Aqueduct's 2020-21 Aqueduct winter meet. The 24-year-old finished the meet with 78 winners--two ahead of Kendrick Carmouche. "I've been trying to take everything in a good way and try to make every step better and better," said Cancel, who was 2015's leading apprentice by earnings and a finalist for that year's Outstanding Apprentice Eclipse Award. "I think right now, I'm on my top game. I know the...

The bar is set high for the 11th annual New Vocations Breeders' Cup pledge drive. Last year's fundraiser for the nation's largest retired racehorse rehabilitation and placement program netted $130,000 from owners and trainers of Breeders' Cup entrants. The exclamation point on that record amount was provided by Vino Rosso (Curlin) winning the GI Classic, because the colt's two ownership partners--St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable--plus trainer Todd Pletcher, all pledged their support. Over the last decade New Vocations has raised $650,000 with its annual Breeders' Cup funding drive, which...