Mike Repole Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast
Controversial and by no means afraid to talk his thoughts, proprietor Mike Repole has been referred to as a disruptor, which implies that he’s intent on difficult the established order on the subject of how horse racing is run. And his major goal has been The Jockey Club. When the TDN interviewed Jockey Club Chairman Everett Dobson on final week’s podcast, Repole requested for equal time.
It was an inexpensive request, so Repole joined the crew on this week’s TDN Writers’ Room Podcast introduced by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. As anticipated, Repole had rather a lot to say about The Jockey Club and the state of the business. He additionally spoke about having the seemingly favourite within the GI Kentucky Derby in Renegade (Into Mischief) and a high contender within the GI Kentucky Oaks in Zany (American Pharoah).
To the shock of nobody, Repole discovered fault with most of the issues Dobson needed to say on final week’s podcast.
“(Dobson) said that The Jockey Club and I agree on 95 percent of things,” Repole stated. “If that’s true, then we have a major problem with execution and a major problem with getting (expletive) done. If that’s false, then you’re just full of BS, and stop lying to us. Anytime I’ve agreed with someone at 95 percent, you have to find a solution. I am willing to find the solutions on how to move this game forward, and I don’t really believe that they’re attempting to find any solutions.”
The state of affairs between The Jockey Club and Repole has grow to be adversarial, and he has stated that he’s within the strategy of submitting a lawsuit in opposition to the group. Even so, Repole stated he’d nonetheless welcome the chance to get business leaders, together with these from The Jockey Club, right into a room and never go away till everybody can agree on options which may clear up among the sport’s issues. He has stated that The Jockey Club has rejected his efforts for a gathering.
“All I wanted to do was get a bunch of industry experts together,” he stated. “Let’s simply lock one another in a room for twenty-four hours, possibly two days, and simply speak about what’s working, what’s not working, and what can we do to make it higher in probably the most non-threatening manner. It was rebuffed. So to me, that is not displaying that you are looking to maneuver the sport ahead. I do not need to be pessimistic or destructive on the sport, however you need to be sincere. I do not actually see something that’s actually working on this recreation, from the foal crop, to racing, to HISA, to aftercare, to the gross sales, to the SAFE Act, to CAWs, to the horseplayers, to the tracks.”
He doesn’t consider that probably the most outstanding organizations within the sport are fulfilling their responsibility to enhance the sport.
“Where’s the innovation? Where’s the thought process?” he stated. “We get nothing from the Breeders’ Cup. We get nothing from The Jockey Club. And HISA is accelerating the death of the sport, and that’s the truth.”
When the topic moved on to Renegade, a horse he co-owned with Robert and Lawana Low, and the Derby, Repole’s tone shifted. He is aware of that he has a horse who’s able to giving him his first Derby win.
“He looks wonderful,” Repole stated. “He’s coaching. Now I’m going to get extra anxious speaking about this. He’s solely going to get higher with extra distance. That huge Churchill stretch goes to look awfully good to him. If Irad (Ortiz, Jr.) can simply get him to the surface in fifth or sixth place, he will be in a in nice place for that final quarter mile. So, sure, I’m enthusiastic about that. I’m not as excited in regards to the sport as I was, however how can I “Not be excited about this horse? I have to be.”
And the place did Zany and Renegade get their names?
“Zany means crazy,” he stated. “Do you know anybody else that’s crazy on this call out of the four of us? Where do you think the name Renegade came from? You know anybody who’s a renegade. We’ve got a crazy renegade running in these races.”
The “Fastest Horses of the Week” was White Abarrio (Race Day), who earned a 111 Beyer in his win within the GII Oaklawn Handicap. The Fastest Horse of the Week phase is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Constitution.
Elsewhere on the podcast, which can also be sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TVthe KTOB and West Point ThoroughbredsRandy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman mentioned White Abarrio’s big win within the Oaklawn Handicap over reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin), in addition to the lawsuit the connections of White Abarrio have filed over the scratching of their horses previous to final yr’s GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The crew additionally mentioned the information that Churchill Downs had bought the mental property rights to the Preakness and what meaning for the way forward for the Triple Crown.
Click here to watch the podcast, or click here to listen.
