LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Five years ago, Mike Repole was living the dream.
He had already made his share of an estimated $4.1 billion fortune from the sale of the company that produced Vitaminwater, and now he had himself a Kentucky Derby favorite with a horse named Uncle Mo.
142nd Kentucky Derby
WHEN 5:44 p.m. Central Saturday
WHERE Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
TV NBC
PP HORSE JOCKEY ODDS
- Trojan Nation Gryder 50-1
- Suddenbreakingnews Quinonez 20-1
- Creator Santana 10-1
- Mo Tom Lanerie 20-1
- Gun Runner Geroux 10-1
- My Man Sam Ortiz 20-1
- Oscar Nominated Leparoux 20-1
- Lani Take 30-1
- Destin Castellano 15-1
- Whitmore Espinoza 20-1
- Exaggerator Desormeaux 8-1
- Tom’s Ready Hernandez 30-1
- Nyquist Gutierrez 3-1
- Mohaymen Alvarado 10-1
- Outwork Velazquez 15-1
- Shagaf Rosario 20-1
- Mor Spirit Stevens 12-1
- Majesto Jaramillo 30-1
- Brody’s Cause Saez 12-1
- Danzing Candy Smith 15-1
Kentucky Derby in the gate
How they will break from the gate in Saturday’s 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Workout information provided by Churchill Downs:
PP HORSE (POINTS) JOCKEY TRAINER LAST RACE TIMED WORK
TROJAN NATION (40) Gryder Gallagher 2nd at Wood Memorial, April 9 1:12.60 6F Thurs.
SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS* (50) Quinonez Von Hemel 2nd in Arkansas Derby, April 16 :59.60 5F Friday
CREATOR* (110) Santana Asmussen Won Arkansas Derby, April 16 :50.60 4F Monday
MO TOM (32) Lanerie Amoss 4th in Louisiana Derby, March 26 :48.60 4F Friday
GUN RUNNER (151) Geroux Asmussen Won Louisiana Derby, March 26 :50.40 4F Monday
MY MAN SAM (40) Ortiz Brown 2nd at Blue Grass Stakes, April 9 :49.60 4F Friday
OSCAR NOMINATED (50) Leparoux Maker Won Turfway Spiral Stakes, April 2 1:00.80 5F Friday
LANI (100) Take Matsunaga Won UAE Derby, March 26 1:01 5F Tuesday
DESTIN (51) Castellano Pletcher Won Tampa Bay Derby, March 12 1:01.20 5F (4/26)
WHITMORE* (44) Espinoza Moquett 3rd in Arkansas Derby, April 16 1:00 5F Friday
EXAGGERATOR (126) Desormeaux Desormeaux Won Santa Anita Derby, April 19 1:02.60 Sunday
TOM’S READY (44) Hernandez Stewart 2nd at Louisiana Derby, March 26 :59.40 5F Friday
NYQUIST (130) Gutierrez O’Neill Won Florida Derby, April 12 1:41.0 1M Friday
MOHAYMEN (80) Alvarado McLaughlin 4th in Florida Derby, April 2 :47.40 4F Friday
OUTWORK (120) Velasquez Pletcher Won Wood Memorial, April 9 1:01 5F Friday
SHAGAF (50) Rosario Brown 5th in Wood Memorial, April 9 :47.40 4F Friday
MOR SPIRIT (84) Stevens Baffert 2nd in Santa Anita Derby, April 9 :59.80 5F Monday
MAJESTO (40) Jaramillo Delgado 2nd at Florida Derby, April 2 1:01.40 5F Friday
BRODY’S CAUSE (114) Saez Romans Won Blue Grass Stakes, April 9 1:00.20 5F Sat.
DANZING CANDY (60) Smith Sise Jr. Won San Felipe Stakes, March 12 :59.60 5F
NOTE Laoban and Cherry Wine are on the also-eligible list and can draw into the race with defections before today’s scratch time.
*Horses that ran at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
All workouts at Churchill Downs except Danzing Candy at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in southern California and Trojan Nation worked at Santa Anita.
But Uncle Mo never made it to the Derby. A day before the race, he was withdrawn from the race because of what turned out to be a life-threatening liver ailment. The lightning-fast colt recovered, ran again and won, but he was never the same. He was retired later in the year.
Repole called Uncle Mo the best horse he'll ever own, and he wasn't even talking about Uncle Mo's life after racing as a stallion in the breeding shed. With just his first crop of 3-year-olds, Uncle Mo already is a leading sire in North America -- "red hot," according to Coolmore Ashford Stud, where Uncle Mo is performing with mind-boggling success.
He's the sire of three of the 20 3-year-olds running in Saturday's Derby -- from morning-line favorite Nyquist to long shot Mo Tom to a horse Repole owns, Wood Memorial winner Outwork. Tapit, a leading sire the past several years, also has three offspring in the Derby, but for a young sire like Uncle Mo to be so productive so early is rare.
"I always knew Mo was a once-in-a-lifetime horse," said Repole, who has made several visits to Ashford Stud, including Wednesday before the Derby draw in Louisville. "What I didn't expect five years ago was he would give me offspring that were brilliant also. I never thought Uncle Mo would be a better sire than he was a racehorse, but he's going to be."
While Outwork already has accomplished something Uncle Mo didn't -- winning the Wood -- it's Nyquist who's been this year's sensation for owner J. Paul Reddam. Like Uncle Mo, Nyquist won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was voted 2-year-old champion. Entering the Derby he's 7-for-7; Outwork is 3-for-4; and Mo Tom won the Lecomte and ran second in the Louisiana Derby.
"Uncle Mo's oldest crop are only 3-year-olds, but his success so far is unlike anything we have seen for a long time," Ashford's manager Dermot Ryan said. "It's fair to say that Uncle Mo is the hottest young sire in the country and as such he is extremely popular."
And valuable. His stud fee is up to $75,000, and he's booked for the rest of the season and "the way he's going that will likely have a big increase next season," Ryan said.
Some of Uncle Mo's successes: 20 of his 3-year-olds were nominated to the Triple Crown races (the most by any sire) and sales of Uncle Mo's are soaring -- a pair of 2-year-olds recently went for more than $1 million each, and Triple Crown winning trainer Bob Baffert picked out a yearling for $700,000. Repole is buying them up, too. He owns more than a dozen.
Through April 26, Uncle Mo's progeny totals 585 foals, including 323 of racing age with earnings of more than $8.5 million, according to Equineline.com. Already, he's having a huge influence on his offspring as a big bay, durable, fast and smart.
"They have size and scope, and they look like him, too. His dominant genes are coming through," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Outwork and trained Uncle Mo. "What's great about him is he can put speed into a big horse. The old-timers will tell you that a really good sire will stamp his offspring. He is doing that."
Doug O'Neill is a believer. He trains Nyquist, who has won all seven of his races, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile -- like Uncle Mo did -- and the Florida Derby. His brother, Dennis, picked out Nyquist at a price of $400,000.
"He just really loved the way he moved," O'Neill said. "And he picks out athletes first, the pedigree is secondary. But once he fell in love with him as an individual, the Uncle Mo was just a huge added bonus because of how good he was."
Now, O'Neill feels fortunate his brother was at the right place at the right time.
"The other Uncle Mo's were really looking good in the sales, too, even though none of them had run yet, but there was definitely a buzz about Uncle Mo. Fortunately, we jumped ahead of the hot Uncle Mo train."
Today, Uncle Mo hangs out with former stablemate Stay Thirsty at Ashford and heads to the breeding shed in the early afternoons.
"He's a big, strong horse and is all stallion," Ashford stallion manager Richard Barry said. "He's a pleasure to be around and seems to excel at everything he does."
Repole's visit Wednesday went well.
"Spending time with him brings back so many amazing memories," he said. "You're supposed to love your children the same, but Mo will always be my favorite."
For Repole, winning the Wood with Outwork was a great moment he shared with family and friends: "To come back five years later, a New York guy, and winning it? Probably the most special moment I've had in my racing career," he said.
Outwork will be Repole's third Derby horse. Stay Thirsty ran the year Uncle Mo was scratched and finished 12th. Overanalyze ran 11th in the 2013 Derby.
Just days away from the race, Repole will be one nervous owner.
"The anxiety before the race is not fun," he said. "The exhilaration after [winning] the race is fun. And to have a horse that's a son of Uncle Mo in it ... you can't ask for more."
Sports on 05/06/2016