In the Kentucky Derby, Mike Repole has not been fortunate. He has not won in 7 attempts, despite having two champions who never raced.
In 2011, Uncle Mo was withdrawn due to a gastrointestinal infection, and last year, Forte was scratched due to a bruised right front foot.
Mike Repole, a self-made billionaire from New York, is returning with Fierceness, the favorite for the 150th Derby. The bay colt was last year’s 2-year-old champion and won the Florida Derby by 13 1/2 lengths.
Fierceness will have to overcome some Derby history, as no horse has won from the No. 17 post.
Repole, known for his high energy, stated, “The horse is just a different kind. He does everything so easy, so calm, so cool. A horse like this calms me down.”
About 150,000 people are expected to attend Churchill Downs to bet and watch the 1 1/4-mile Derby. Post time is 6:57 p.m. The forecast predicts 79 degrees and a 40% chance of rain.
Fierceness is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, who have a combined five Derby wins.
Repole expressed his hope to win sooner than the Cubs did for the World Series.
Like Repole, trainer Chad Brown has also not won in 7 attempts. He will race Sierra Leone, the early 3-1 second choice, and long shot Domestic Product. Sierra Leone is the most expensive horse in the field, costing $2.3 million.
Other than Brown, Brad Cox and Danny Gargan each have two entries.
Louisville-born Cox experienced his first Derby victory when Mandaloun was declared the winner after Medina Spirit’s disqualification. Now, he has Catching Freedom, the early 8-1 third choice, and Just a Touch, the 10-1 co-fourth choice.
Gargan’s long-shot duo consists of Dornach and Society Man. Dornach, a front-runner, starts from the No. 1 post.
Gargan hopes Dornach will start strong and lead from the front. He planned on keeping the horse's face clean, and now he aims to do it successfully.
Society Man is ridden by Frankie Dettori, who returns to the Derby at age 53 after 24 years.
Larry Demeritte, just the second Black trainer since 1951 to compete in the Derby, will race West Saratoga, a colt that cost $11,000.
Demeritte's motto is, “I don’t buy cheap horses, I buy good horses cheap.”
Japan has two representatives in the Derby: early 10-1 shot Forever Young, winner of five consecutive races, and 30-1 shot T O Password. No horse from Japan has ever won the Derby.
Last year, two horses died on Derby day at Churchill Downs, and a total of 12 horses died in the weeks around the race. The historic track has made changes to the racing surface and safety protocols to prevent more tragedies.
In May of last year, Churchill Downs suspended trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. because two of his horses died, and it withdrew his Derby horse, Lord Miles. He is now back with Catalytic this week.
Bob Baffert, who has won the Derby six times, is not participating. Churchill Downs extended his two-year suspension for Medina Spirit's failed drug test in 2021 to a third year, even though he has not had any more medication violations.
D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time winner, prepared long shot Just Steel, which was ridden by Keith Asmussen, the son of trainer Steve Asmussen. The elder Asmussen entered Track Phantom in an attempt to end his 0 for 25 losing streak in the Derby.
