POLE POSITION
Meet brash billionaire Mike Repole who made $1.6b through soft drinks industry – and owns the Kentucky Derby favorite
How to watch this weekend's race
BILLIONAIRE BodyArmor founder Mike Repole is ready to finally toast victory in the Kentucky Derby after years of disappointment.
Repole, who made $1.6 billion through the sports drink business, is on a 0-9 losing streak at Churchill Downs.
6
6
6
6
But now the New Yorker, who has spent more than $300 million buying horses, is poised to capture his first win at this year's Kentucky Derby as the owner of the 5-2 favorite Fierceness.
A year ago, Repole had the favorite for the Kentucky Derby in Forte – but the horse was scratched on the day of the race with a bruised foot.
Repole also owned 2011 favorite Uncle Mo, who did not run because of an illness.
“I’m 0 for 9, even though I’ve only run seven times,” Repole told BloodHorse magazine.
Read more on Kentucky Derby
“To me, when you scratch the morning-line favorite for the Derby, it’s a loss.”
Fierceness goes into the Run for the Roses in fine form after winning the Florida Derby by more than 13 lengths.
The three-year-old is trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and raced by three-time Kentucky Derby winner John Velazquez.
“This is our best shot,” Repole told Sportico.
Most read in Horse Racing
"If I can just be the third wheel and get one, I’ll be pretty happy and so will they.”
Repole says he has learned much about the sport through business partners NFL legend Tom Brady and late NBA icon Kobe Bryant.
Why everyone loves the Kentucky Derby
Bryant was an investor in BodyArmor, which Repole sold to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion in 2021.
Meanwhile, Repole is the owner of sportswear company NoBull, which recently merged with Brady's TB12 wellness brand.
“Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant, guys that I have known as friends, you ask them what their best championship was – the next one," he said.
"You just have to keep moving forward.”
Repole has had a lot of success in horse racing but he remains an outspoken critic of the sport.
“He’s trying to act like the Elon Musk or Donald Trump of horse racing,” Resolute Racing owner John Stewart told The New York Times.
“The sport has enough problems, and we don’t need that.”
Repole remains philosophical about his chances of winning the Kentucky Derby.
6
6
But he is not willing to go down without a fight, having invested so much time, energy and money into the sport.
“Let’s be clear: I want to win this Kentucky Derby, and it’s going to be great if I do,” he added.
Read More on The US Sun
“If I don’t win, I’m going to be disappointed, but it’s going to be great if I don’t.
"If it’s not this year, then I’m really going to try next year. I’m definitely going to die trying.”
