I never compared him to IEAH, I stated now have someone I dislike more. No comparison made at all. I don't like him because he is gutless for running Uncle Mo in the Timely Writer.

Disliking him more than anybody else requires a comparison of some sort. I really think your priorities are a little off on who you dislike and why. He's not the only one pulling that stuff. Jackson did it last year with Rachel. I'm gonna need something besides the Timely Writer situation as evidence of scum-like behavior on Repole's part.

Gulfstream could've said no. I don't like what they did, and that situation was discussed on ATR so I won't go on about it, but it's hardly comparable to IEAH. By all means, run off an owner who's got lots of money, enthusiasm for horse racing, and has been dreaming of owning a horse like this since he was a child. It's not gutless if he thinks his horse can beat anybody out there, and I genuinely think he does. Feel free to say it's unwise considering what can happen in the Derby, even to the best, without enough seasoning, but gutless?

Do you have any issues with Peachtree after the attempted/failed shenanigans with Flashpoint and the Swale? If I'm ranking ridiculous behavior, that was kind of worse than the creation of the Timely Writer.

Why the TB Derby is now the be all of Derby preps. Plus didn't TAP have the odds on fav in the race for another of his huge clients? You think he wanted the two to compete in March? Maybe there are some concerns about Uncle MO, perhaps Repole's neice isn't telling everybody, save DrugS, all the specifics?

Maybe in your mind it does but not mine.

Why shouldn't there be some concern?

Everything in the Pletcher barn gets hurt or falls apart... he can't even keep them together for a full season on laughably easy schedules.

If he trained war horses like Equipoise, Assault, and Stymie - those horses bodies would fall apart quickly in his program. No equine is tough enough to withstand being in that barn.

Gutless guys usually don't sell compnies they started
for half a billion dollars.

Maybe he got soft in his old age?

Perfect trip setups where you run your final quarter faster than your first quarter do little to give a 3YO the seasoning to get toughened up for the Triple Crown races.

Uncle Mo is a SELL

Agreed but who is so toughened up that is going to beat him?

How about Dialed In who was back in last in a TOTALLY paceless race. He ran a solid race to get 2nd under those circumstances.

Gawd, people are friggin dumb

Where is his race that is fast enough to win a typical Derby. Assuming Mo doesnt make the race its wide open but save that possiblity he is light years ahead of this group. He has been around two turns and has run very fast, now take into account he is relaxed enough to dwell for a half a mile and then sprint off suggests to me at least some quality.

DrugS is all hot in the panties about Machen(be it 70/1) because in his second start he was able blister a final panel in 24 after following the herd for 3/4's in 1.15ish.

Yes - it was very impressive how Dialed In was able to outfinish 3rd place finisher Valerius ... even though Valerius was head and head with him the whole way for about the first 7fs.

Isnt the issue with Dialed In as is many of the pretenders can Zito get him to go forward in the next 60 days. If they stay sound, get the right cocktails, and train forward at least 7 would have a decent shot. Why Machen at 70/1 instead of Comma at 80/1?

I didn't like anything about Machen's second start.

Machen won his debut while up very close to the pace going 6fs - he got a very fast number... 94 Beyer with a sweeping 4-wide far turn move. Thoro-Graph actually has that race faster than any of Uncle Mo's races.

So, what does Neil Howard do next? He tries to transform this horse into a deep closing router ... Freddy, Machen has attempted to close into the teeth of two BRUTALLY slow paced route races in his two most recent attempts.

When Dialed In runs 2nd closing - finishing ahead of true dog biscuits - against a very slow pace... people are pissing themselves about how great he ran.

When Machen attempts to rally wide into painfully slow fractions - and fails - it's like 'oh, he really sucks' I picked Mucho Macho Man to win that race and gave Machen little chance. His defeat did nothing but clear the tards off his bandwagon.

I wouldn't touch Comma in a future book right now because he might be taken off of the Derby Trail after his last two placings.

He may train them too light and the effort of the race is too much. Also most of today horses have a pre-race vet bill that would choke a rhino. It takes a week to get them back to galloping while horses of old were back out at the races in 5-7 days, even the really good ones.

Stymie and Assault and the like wouldn't have ever gotten tough enough under his program to be "who they were." Also, common today is the "Saturday horses breeze on Sunday" routine. Look up the worktabs of most of TAP's stakes horses, they work either sat or Sun with almost no deviation. There is no individualized program of "this horse does well with a breeze 8 days out and a sharpener at 2f two days before..."
When TVG started the show "The Works" leading to the Derby is was Sunday-Thursday. Now most of the final pre- Derby works are done by Monday of Derby week. many are done by Saturday prior.

Talking 'bout yourself again?

I wasn't actually referring to you specifically with my previous post, but after going back to see why you reacted that way to my post, it's clear how you would think that my post was aimed directly at you.

I have read a few stories about how Uncle Mo and specifically Repole are hoping to help racing with a star like Uncle Mo. Well running him twice before the derby and probably retiring him at the end of the year does not help racing at all. Run you horse..

altho i wish uncle mo wasn't being handled with such kid gloves, i certainly don't hold it against repole. this sport needs more owners; this guy seems to love the sport, and doesn't mind spending money. he just bought a couple horses at obs. we need him and more like him. owners first, work on more starts next.

Reading here and elsewhere about Mike Repole has made me wonder . . . Let's say for a moment that Mo is the next great horse, that he wins the Derby, and the Preakness, and maybe even the Triple Crown. Given the lauding about Repole's enthusiasm and what I've interpreted as his desire to boost the sport, what does Uncle Mo do for the rest of 2011? Would he campaign him aggressively? In the alternative, if Mo wins "only" one or two of the TC races, and races well through the end of the year and finishes sound, what are the chances that Mo comes back to race as a 4YO?

Partially answering my own first question, I am thinking of Repole repeatedly pointing Uncle Mo to the Wood Memorial for his last Derby prep race, but now backpeddling and saying that he may stay in Florida for the Florida Derby, saying, "It's up to Todd (Pletcher)."

After typing this ^^^^ I've slapped myself back to reality, knowing what Mo would have to achieve to even make my questions relevant. Here's to hoping that Uncle Mo comes up deserving of all the hype, and that then we get to see how Repole responds.

I don't think Comma will stay, but he kept going after dueling ridiculous fractions last week when the other pace horses were looking for a lake to jump into.

Repole said he'd like to keep him running for as long as he is sound and doing well. Who knows though.

As for the type of campaign? I'd run him in the Vanity and Santa Margarita the next 3 years.

Mere mortal horses could never take on such a gruelling schedule.

Thus proving his alltime greatness!

Steve Crist weighs in.

Instead of having to write all that - if Crist had the fancy NFL Draft Combine video technology ... he could have just superimposed Uncle Mo into Tackleberry's race.

I said it before his BCJ win, and thought it was obvious to everyone after the race, but how did people not notice that UM runs easily, relaxed and does exactly what the jockey wants?

Of course he could relax early and finish strongly! He'd already done that in his previous starts!

Pace in the Derby simply will not matter to UM.

It's one thing to relax early and finish strongly when you have no target in front of you - and no dirt is being kicked in your face.

Until he proves he can do the same - from off the pace - while taking dirt in his eyes and nose ... he's still nothing more than a tactically gifted speed horse/stalker.

A lot of plodders and deep closers don't even react well the first time they take dirt kick-back. Look at Jaycito - and Royal Delta had a meltdown at Tampa over the weekend around the 1st turn.

Uh huh.

The actual race he ran was very similar to Dialed In's maiden score.

He was a length behind Valerius after 6f then outfinished him by 4 solid lengths. Given the pace scenario in that race he had ZERO chance to beat his older stablemate. This race WAS solid and he proved it today.

Answer to my question (why haven't I seen this before now):

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ill&id=6301023
:tro:

I really don't get how folks don't warm to Repole. He's like the anti-Iavarone.

Petty jealousies.

Duh.

Those races are too close for Pletcher.

I still wonder why year after year, we're told how so and so is rich and doesn't need the money and is in it for the sport......only to see their horse retired at the end of the year or at the slightest hint of frailty?

yup, a bunch of us called the race a farce ....a joke,.......proved nothing....we all look pretty stupid today,,.....lol

I must have missed the Uncle Mo retirement press release. Just brilliant criticizing the bazillionaire who's new to the racing game and looking to spend dough. From reading some comments here, you'd think Repole is some combination of Mike Gill and Mr. Burns or something.