Repole Stable

Champion Forte Favored at 4-5 for Curlin Florida Derby

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite from post 11 in a field of a dozen 3-year-olds entered in next Saturday's $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa at Gulfstream Park. The GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner established himself as a clear early favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby following an impressive win while making his sophomore debut in the GII Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher...

[ Read More ]
Champion Forte Super Strong in Fountain of Youth

The champ is back and possibly better than ever. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old colt 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) returned to the races in style with a powerful performance in Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth S., good for 50 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby. "We kind of carefully laid it out and put him in a program that would put him in the condition to be ready to run and still having room for improvement and room to continue to...

[ Read More ]
Champion Forte Works 'Strongly' for Fountain of Youth

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) breezed five furlongs in 1:01.58 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs in preparation for a planned start in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4 at Gulfstream Park. "He finished up very strongly and galloped out great. We're very, very happy with him," Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. Saturday's breeze was the fifth in a series of workouts following Forte's Eclipse Award-clinching victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr., the only race rider Forte...

[ Read More ]
Taking Stock: Pletcher on the Curlins

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher is on fire, unveiling one promising colt or filly after another in maiden, allowance, and stakes races it seems. Last month, Pletcher won his eighth Eclipse Award as North America's leading trainer. Not only that, but three horses trained by Pletcher also won Eclipses: Forte (Violence), champion 2-year-old colt; Nest (Curlin), champion 3-year-old filly; and Malathaat (Curlin), champion older female. Like Pletcher, Curlin shone at the Eclipses. Aside from Nest and Malathaat, his Elite Power was named champion sprinter of 2022, giving the Hill 'n'...

[ Read More ]
Cairo Consort Overcomes Adversity In Sweetest Chant

Things looked downright bleak for Town and Country Racing and Repole Stable's Cairo Consort (Cairo Prince) at outset of Saturday's GIII Sweetest Chant S. at Gulfstream Park, as she went in the air as the gates flew, spotting her rivals several lengths. But the gray filly was given a supremely patient ride by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and whistled past stablemate Alpha Bella (Justify) in the final sixteenth of a mile to register a breakthrough graded success. Favored at 11-5, Cairo Consort was forced to take her medicine from the back...

[ Read More ]
3-Year-Olds Nest and Epicenter Voted Eclipse Best

A pair of battle-tested performers in their 3-year-old categories, Nest and Epicenter showed grit and determination versus some stiff competition along the Derby and Oaks Trails. NEST When all the votes were tallied, the title for the 2022 champion 3-year-old filly division went for the second consecutive year to another uber-talented daughter of Curlin out of an A.P. Indy mare. Also trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Nest follows in the footsteps of 2021 3-year-old filly champion Malathaat, who employed a similar route to Eclipse success, including wins in...

[ Read More ]
Wonder Wheel and Forte Collect 2-Year-Old Eclipse Awards

Breeders' Cup Juvenile races produced both the 2-year-old filly and colt champions, with Wonder Wheel taking the filly statue and Forte leading the colts. WONDER WHEEL Each spring, as most trainers get their promising 2-year-olds ready to begin their careers, invariably one or two (or maybe more, depending on the conditioner) of these youngsters stand out. And just as invariably, these trainers hold their breath and cross everything they can cross to help ensure everything goes right enough that the end result--a Breeders' Cup win--produces the ultimate result--the Eclipse Award....

[ Read More ]
Derby Top 12: The Point Race Begins

The first week of January doesn't have much in common with the first Saturday in May--with the exception that the inaugural TDN Top 12 has arrived to herald the coming of the seemingly far-off GI Kentucky Derby season. Get tied on and enjoy the ride. 1) ARABIAN KNIGHT (c, Uncle Mo--Borealis Night, by Astrology) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $2,300,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $86,025. Last start: 1st Keeneland Maiden Special Weight, Nov. 5....

[ Read More ]
November 27 Insights: Pletcher Unveils Well-Bred Quality Road Colt

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 12th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, 7 1/2f, 6:24p.m. ET Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Woodford Racing LLC partner-up on this $500,000 KEESEP procurement in PATOU ROAD (Quality Road), who will be getting a late start to the races for his powerhouse connections. In the barn of Pletcher, who has had a notably great year with the ownership group, the colt is out of Patou (Ghostzapper), herself a half-sister to GSW Moulin de Mougin (Curlin)--the dam of GSP Spicer (Quality Road); GISP Vionnet (Street Sense)--dam of...

[ Read More ]
Forte 10-1 Individual Favorite in Pool 2 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte (Violence) was made the 10-1 individual betting favorite while the pari-mutuel field of "All Other Colts and Geldings" from the 2020 foal crop not listed within the 38 individual betting interests was tabbed as the heavy 3-5 choice. The four-day pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, will open Thursday at noon (all times Eastern) and close Sunday at 6 p.m. Pool 2 will run concurrent with the lone Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, where fans can...

[ Read More ]
Violence's Forte Sweeps to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Win

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...

[ Read More ]
Pletcher Juveniles Tune Up for Breeders' Cup

A host of juveniles from the Todd Pletcher barn gearing up for engagements on Friday of Breeders' Cup championship weekend worked at Keeneland Thursday. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) and Harrell Ventures' Lost Ark (Violence), the respective winner and sixth-place finisher in the Oct. 8 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, breezed a half-mile together in :49.20 immediately after the track's second renovation break at 9 a.m. Both are candidates for the $2-million GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Keeneland clockers caught the two in fractions of :13.40, :25, and...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.