Fierceness drew away to a dominant win in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. (Eclipse Sportswire)
Mike Repole’s dogged pursuit of the Kentucky Derby continues.
The spectacular triumph highlighted Future Stars Friday and gave Repole consecutive scores in the Juvenile. His bay son of City of Light, a homebred, followed the lead of Forte last November at Keeneland. Repole also captured the Juvenile with brilliant Uncle Mo in 2010.
The 1 1/16-mile race has ultimately led to heartbreak for the New York native, a trend he desperately hopes to reverse. Uncle Mo and Forte, both 2-year-old champions and Derby favorites, never reached the nation’s premier race. Uncle Mo was scratched with a rare liver ailment, Forte with a lingering foot bruise.
The Repole family celebrates with Fierceness, jockey John Velazquez. (Eclipse Sportswire)
Repole, of course, is keenly aware of that history. But he did everything he could to cast that aside in light of his latest success. “I’m not going to think about the Derby with this race,” he said.
Uncle Mo and Forte were trained by Todd Pletcher. So is Fierceness, who gave Pletcher his fourth Juvenile win, one behind D. Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert for the all-time lead. Fierceness completed the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile in 1:41.90 and benefitted from a masterful ride by John Velazquez, 51.
“To win this race again with Johnny was really special,” said Repole. “We’re still in the game. He’s still one of the great jockeys. Todd is Todd. To win that 14 years later with Johnny is very special.”
Velazquez sat coolly in second behind General Partner, who carved out an opening quarter of a mile in :23.25, a half-mile in :47.02 and three-quarters in 1:10.86. He swept past the front-runner nearing the quarter pole and with his jockey asking for more and more, the youngster responded generously.
Fierceness returned $35 for a $2 win wager. He was a perplexing commodity entering his third career start. He made an auspicious debut when he handled a muddy track and his opponents with 11 ¼-length ease in a six-furlong Aug. 23 mismatch at Saratoga. He went off as the odds-on favorite in the Oct. 7 Champagne Stakes at Belmont at the Big A – and fell miserably short of expectations.
Fierceness lunged at the start and finished a nonthreatening seventh, 20 ¼ lengths in the wake of Timberlake. The sloppy track could hardly be blamed because the colt had run so well in the mud at Saratoga.
No one really knew what to expect from him in the Juvenile. “Todd and I all week have said, ‘If he’s sixth by 12 or first by five, we wouldn’t be surprised,’ ” Repole noted. “So, we’re pretty happy right now.”
Repole, the son of a waiter and a seamstress, is a self-made billionaire who embodies the American Dream. His success in the beverage industry allows him to spend heavily on racing prospects at sales, but others invest lavishly without the level of success he enjoys.
He was quick to credit pedigree expert Ed Rosen, Pletcher, and other advisers who provide him with a great deal of expertise. The Juvenile offers proof of how formidable they are.
“To win this race and then again last year and then again, we’ve got a great team,” Repole said, adding, “It’s always by committee. If we like it, we say something. If we don’t like it, we say it.”
Repole said he is a major shareholder in City of Light. He campaigned Fierceness’ dam, Nonna Bella, as well as Stay Thirsty, her sire.
And now everyone will wait until next spring to see whether Fierceness can be the one to complete Repole’s unfinished Derby business.
2023 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance November 3rd, 2023
