There’s a clear favorite on top of oddsmakers’ boards for The Run for the Roses this year: Kentucky’s own Forte, who is a 3/1 to win the 149th Derby this evening.
Forte’s owner? Queens, New York native Mike Repole, who is living out a childhood dream this weekend in Louisville.
Repole, the owner of Repole Stables, grew up going to the Aqueduct Racetrack in the World’s Borough.
The son of a seamstress and waiter, Repole never thought he’d one day be able to so much attend the Kentucky Derby.
“This is a dream,” Repole said in an interview with America’s Best Racing. “I’m a kid from Queens. I’m not supposed to even come to this race, never mind own a horse in the race, never mind own the Derby favorite with good friend and partner Vinnie Viola. So, everything is such a bonus, man.”
Before getting into the horse racing business, Repole built a fortune as the co-founder of Glaceau, the company that created Smartwater and Vitaminwater, and BODYARMOR SuperDrink, which sold to Coca-Cola for nearly $10 billion.
“I know how hard it is just to get this far,” Repole said. “People ask me, ‘What is the secret sauce to your success?’ The answer is simple. I worked 18 hours a day seven days a week for 30 years. It really comes down to sacrifice, work ethic, and putting in the time.”
Repole Stable is approaching nearly two decades in the horse racing industry.
Perhaps the closest Repole got to taking home a Kentucky Derby trophy came in 2011, when he owned Uncle Mo, the 2-year-old champion of 2010 and favorite in the weeks leading up to the race.
But the day before, Repole was forced to scratch Uncle Mo, who was later diagnosed with a liver disorder.
Seven different horses of Repole’s have entered the Derby since then, but none have finished higher than fifth.
Now, he’s hours away from entering the race’s favorite.
“It’s kind of come full circle from one 2-year-old champ to another,” Repole said after Forte won the Florida Derby in April, according to the Daily Racing Form. “The ride of Uncle Mo, the wheels fell off the bus. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, went wrong. It seems, knock on wood right now, things are just going in the right direction and [Forte] is getting better and better.”