Mike Repole

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY-The Keeneland September Yearling Sale had its first seven-figure transaction just an hour into its first session Monday and, when the dust had settled after a frenetic day of bidding, 14 yearlings had sold for $1 million or more. The group was led by a $2.2-million son of Gun Runner who sold to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm from the Four Star Sales consignment. The colt was one of five by the Three Chimneys stallion to sell for seven figures during...

Mentee (City of Light), the two-year-old full-brother to GI Travers Stakes winner Fierceness (City of Light), came down with laminitis after his winning debut on June 15 at Aqueduct. According to owner Mike Repole, who revealed the news on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland, the situation was so severe that the colt is "lucky to be alive." However, Mentee recovered so well and so quickly that he is set to start in Monday's GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. Mentee broke his maiden by a nose, defeating another...

The public may have given up on Fierceness (City of Light) before the GI DraftKings Travers S., sending last year's 2-year-old champion off at 7-2. It was all about his inability to string together two good races. But owner Mike Repole remained confident and that confidence was rewarded in the Travers in a victory that put his homebred squarely in the mix for Horse of the Year. To talk about Fierceness, and also his desire to make changes in the sport through his National Thoroughbred Alliance, Repole joined this week's...

Mike Repole celebrates his GI Travers winner Fierceness and shares updates on the National Thoroughbred Alliance on this week's TDN Writers' Room.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. "I knew it was getting close," the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features runners with American connections as well as the half-sister to dual Group 1 heroine Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}). 14.58 Deauville, Mdn, €30,000, 2yo, c/g, 6fT Repole Stable's 280,000gns Craven Breeze-Up acquisition BENNY THE WAITER (IRE) (Blue Point {Ire}), who first went through the ring for €72,000...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Tuesday, trainer Ian Wilkes spent 12 hours driving from Kentucky to Saratoga Race Course. By the end of the day Saturday, he is hoping that the time he spent behind the wheel was worth it. Only his 3-year-old filly Just Basking (Arrogate) will be able to let him know if the journey was justified. Just Basking is one of eight 3-year-old fillies entered to run in the $600,000 GI Alabama Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga. "If you can't believe in your horse, you shouldn't...

In 2009 when Tom Rooney joined the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 17th Congressional District--a Southwest portion of the Sunshine State--he assumed passage of a bill to permanently ban the commercial slaughter of horses, along with their export for such purposes, was a slam dunk. "I did not think that this was going to be a controversial issue," said Rooney, now the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). "It immediately became one of the most contentious, where I was like, 'yeah, I oppose horse slaughter...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale kicked off its two-day run with an abbreviated session featuring competitive bidding from start to finish Sunday evening in the Humphry S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga. "It was a strong start to the 2024 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "There was very consistent trade from start to finish. I think the thing that was probably most encouraging tonight was the buy-back rate. This sale has traditionally had a little bit of a higher buy-back...

TDN Rising Star Mindframe (Constitution), runner up in both Grade I attempts, will be sidelined because of bone bruising through the remainder of this year, according to DRF Wednesday. Campaigned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, the Todd Pletcher trainee was sent to Ocala, Florida earlier this week and was examined by Dr. John Madison. With the defection of Mindframe, Repole also indicated that recent GII Jim Dandy Stakes winner Fierceness (City of Light) is a possibility to run in the Aug. 24 GI Travers S. "He's clear go...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-A healthy field of 12 was entered Sunday for the 97th running of the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes, which will be run at Saratoga Race Course Saturday. National Treasure (Quality Road), from Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, will be the favorite as he is ranked as the top older horse in the country in the weekly NTRA poll. Evidently, he is not scaring anyone off. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has a trio of horses entered in Bright Future (Curlin), Charge It (Tapit) and Crupi (Curlin)....

Before he became a Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher was once a sports journalist. Kind of. He had a nickname, too. Find out what horse race is his most satisfying victory and who were his favorite horses to train. And, if you want to find out what NFL team is near and dear to his heart, dive right in. Find out all you never knew about one of the most successful trainers in the history of the sport. TDN: On your resume--and I am not going to go through...