John Clay: After last year's heartbreak, Mike Repole is back in same spot for Kentucky Derby 150

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Mike Repole has a message for people about Mike Repole: Don’t feel sorry for Mike Repole.

“I mean I’ve got a pretty awesome life,” the 55-year-old New York native said last week.

You could say that. According to Forbes magazine, Repole is worth $1.6 billion. He helped start Glaceau, the company behind Vitaminwater and Smartwater, then sold it to Coca-Cola for $4 billion in 2007. He then sold Bodyarmor SuperDrink to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion. (Kobe Bryant was a major investor.) He owns the sportswear company NoBull with a fellow named Tom Brady.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” Repole repeated.

A year ago, people did feel sorry for Repole. He owned probable Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, who was scratched by the state veterinarian the morning of the race. Lightning strikes twice. Back in 2011, Repole owned the probable Derby favorite Uncle Mo, who also scratched out of the race.

“I’m 0-for-7 in the Derby and 0-for-2 with favorites,” Repole said last Saturday. “Hopefully, I’m not 0-for-10.”

That’s because, exactly one year later, Repole is back, this time with a homebred who is the Kentucky Derby 150 morning line favorite in Fierceness, last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion and this year’s runaway Grade 1 Florida Derby winner.

“That’s one out of 20,000 (foals) and to come back a year later (with the favorite),” Repole said. “This is not normal.”

By all accounts, Fierceness is not normal. The son of City of Light by the mare Nonna Bella by Stay Thirsty, he won his career debut last August before finishing seventh on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on Oct. 7. Fierceness bounced back in a big away on a dry track to win the Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3, earning 2-year-old champion honors.

He opened his 3-year-old campaign with a rusty third-place finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 3. Fierceness then rebounded in impressive fashion to dominate the Florida Derby by a ridiculous 13 1/2 lengths on March 30.

...continued

swipe to next page