Apparently there is no need for an umbrella when winning level 1 bets.
As a steady rain fell on the winner's circle Saratoga Race TrackOwner Mike Repole skipped back and forth from the track to meeting his friends in a short-sleeved blue shirt.
No jacket. No hat.
He didn't let the conditions get to him and behaved like it was a clear, damp day.
“Was it raining out there?” he said.
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Oh, it was raining, but Mother Nature couldn't dampen the joy Repole and his partner, Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stable, felt when a sloppy, sealed race track was no obstacle for their juvenile colt Strength who claimed a three-length victory over Favoured Gulfport in the $300,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds on September 5 on the final day of a memorable 2022 season at Spa.
“It was a special victory with a special horse,” said Repole about the son of Violence , who rebounded for trainer Todd Pletcher after finishing fourth in the Sanford Stakes (G3) as a 7-5 favorite earlier in the contest. “He looked really good out there. Winning with Vinnie, Todd and (jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) will be a fun team.”
“Vinnie and I made a gigantic investment in the sale. We spent a lot of money, and that’s what you do to get a horse like that.”
Forte was bred at South Gate Farm in Kentucky and was actually one of the two friends' more modest acquisitions as a son of Accuse The mare Queen Caroline sold for $110,000 from Eaton Sales consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
“We bought two Violence colts, one for $900,000 and this one for $110,000, and the $110,000 colt wins Grade 1. That's what happens in this sport,” Repole said.
For Viola, the raindrops didn't matter at all compared to the sunshine of a two-year-old colt with a dazzling future ahead of her.
“Look at the time today and how he conducted himself, it was a great, professional performance,” Viola said. “I’m really excited about this horse. It’s a great day for Mike and I.”
It was certainly a much better day than July 16, when Forte ran seventh early and rallied to fourth, 5 3/4 lengths behind Mon Strike who was fourth on Monday.
“(Forte) never had room last time, but then he came out and galloped out well in a 12-horse field. Maybe he'll win if he had the 10th position last time. But hey, he's got experience, and that.” “It helped him here, and it'll lend a hand him next time,” said Repole, who races under the Repole Stable banner.
The “next time” could be in the Champagne Stakes (G1) on October 1, a mile away from a round Aqueduct race trackalthough another option could be the Oct. 8 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, a two-round, 1 1/16-mile test KeenelandVenue of the Breeders' Cup.
“We’ll talk to Vinnie and Mike and work out a game plan. Champagne is always a race we think highly of and that would be first on the radar,” said Pletcher, who has a record six Champagne victories, including one with Repole’s 2-year-old champion Uncle Mo in 2010.
Forte leaves the winner's circle after winning the Hopeful Stakes
While the rain and sloppy track gave the other five starters a built-in excuse for their defeat, Pletcher said he wasn't worried about Forte's ability to handle the humid pavement.
“I thought he would handle it well,” Pletcher said. “I saw him galloping over it and as far as pedigree goes, I thought he could handle it.”
William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oak Farm and Coolmore Stud's Gulfport took the lead in the Hopeful, posting fractions of :22.74 and :45.57 while leading by half a length with Mo Strike. Bourbon Bash And West Ghent hunting.
The Steve Asmussen-trained Gulfport raced about five feet apart under Flavien Prat, beating the pursuers while being about seven feet clear at the end of the corner. That allowed Ortiz to score four with Forte from fifth and still stay within the leaderboard.
Approaching the eighth pole, Forte ($15.80) took the lead and then pulled away to cover seven furlongs in 1:22.58 as the 6-1 fourth choice.
“To end the meet with this win is great,” said Ortiz, who won his fourth Spa equestrian title this year with 55 victories. “Everyone is elated.”
Gulfport, a son of Uncle Mo, finished second by nine lengths to Rodeo Creek Racing Flaming sevens A Good magic Colt who was the last to recover for Chad Brown, who took his fifth Spa training title with 42 wins, four more than Pletcher.
“He kind of went out, and as soon as he saw the winner coming from the inside, he went out even more,” Prat said.
Forte is the first foal from Queen Caroline, who also has a yearling full brother to the Hopeful winner, scheduled to be sold as Hip 11 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale through South Gate Farm agent Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services.
