Passionate about the sport and determined to win at the highest level, partners Vinnie Viola and Mike Repole have come up with a formula they hope will mean long-term success. It’s not just about quality, it’s also about quantity. Attack the game with an army of well-bred horses, mostly ponies, send them to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and sit back and wait for good things to happen.
For the equivalent of a historic sale, Repole and Viola’s St. Elias Stable purchased 43 annuities at Keeneland in September, paying a total of $16,045 million. That’s after they spent $1,375 million on two five cubs at Fasig-Tipton October and one at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga for $350,000.
Represented by bloodline dealer Jacob West, the Repole-Viola consortium purchased 40 colts in Keeneland and 3 calves, paying anywhere from $40,000 for a colt. Always dreaming up to 1.05 million dollars for a City of light pony. They pursued a number of males, including four of Curlin and three by City of light. The average price they paid was $373,000.
“There is really a good formula,” said Repole. “We know what we’re doing. We have an amazing list. We have amazing mentors, an incredible team. We expect to do so next year, next year. We do it because we really like the game.”
It’s all about putting yourself in a position to win at the highest levels of the sport, which both have achieved. They teamed up to win the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic 2019 with Vino Rosso (Curlin), a horse they bought at the September 2016 sale at Keeneland for $410,000. Viola owns the 2021 GI Florida Derby winner who knows the Agenda (Curlin) and is the co-owner of the 2017 GI Kentucky Derby winner Always dreaming (Bodemeister), while Repole campaigned for, among others, the winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Uncle Mo (India Charlie) and winner GI Travers S. Stay Thirsty (Bernardini).
At the end of the day, it’s not necessarily about profits, but the desire to win in a sport that can’t get out of their system.
“We developed a passion,” said Viola, owner of NHL’s Florida Panthers. “It is less driven by the market. It makes sense at an athlete’s level. Every sportsperson wants to compete at the highest level in whatever activity or sport they participate in.”
Viola is from Brooklyn and Repole is from Queens. Both use Pletcher as their main coach and have similar goals and philosophies when it comes to the sport. It made their cooperation natural. As a partnership, their first standout in sales was at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, where they purchased 23 horses totaling $9,295 million.
They are not just spending a lot of money, they are trying to spend a lot of money wisely. It started with a team of advisors that included West, Pletcher, Ed Rosen, Jim Martin, Rory Babich, and Monique Delk. Everyone has their strengths. With their information passed to Viola and Repole, they continued the hunt for the next Vino Rosso.
“This is not an easy task,” said Viola. “This is part art, part science, part team discipline. Mike and I kept talking about those three challenges. Very, very easy when you have a partner like Mike. He is an extremely talented individual. We work very well together.”
“In business, it’s 80% planning and 20% luck,” says Repole. “In horse racing, it’s 20% planning and 80% luck. Not too many people have that 20% plan. They are everywhere. Vinnie and I are very focused right now. “
Buying mostly ponies is part of that plan. For Viola, trying to win another Kentucky Derby.
“We are mainly pony buyers,” says Viola. “The sole purpose is to win what we think is the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby. You will see us buying 90% plus ponies”.
Repole wanted to win his first Derby, but he also wanted to develop stallions, another reason the two bought very few adders.
“It was driven by having ponies and stallions,” he said. “One thing that Vinnie and I figured out pretty quickly is the possibility of making money in this game with stallions. I still own a large percentage Uncle Mo. His cross-breeding fee is $175,000 and he bred every year for 200 mares. Anyone can do the math.”
Repole said he’s reluctant to spend more than $1 million on any one horse and wants to stay in the $300,000 to $600,000 range.
“It’s a number game,” he said. “What Vinnie and I are working towards is quality and quantity. That’s what we’re looking for. If someone wants up to $2.7 million, God bless and good luck. Vinnie and I would never buy a vending cart because there’s always a $4 million horse and everyone says, ‘Wow, look at that horse.’ A few years later, tell me what that horse did.”
The relationship has grown over the years. In 2016, the year they bought Vino Rosso in Keeneland, Repole and Viola went with only two horses. Repole says the success it has had with Vino Rosso has strengthened the partnership, not just a business relationship. It became a close friendship.
“Vinnie and I have gone from partners to great friends to family over the past 12 years,” says Repole. “Without a doubt, I would rather own 50% of the great horses with Vinnie than own 100% of the great horses alone. It feels more special that way. ”
Buying stallions is never easy and there are no guarantees, but there is something to be said about having such a deep herd. So they hope to make some memories in the years to come, starting next year when the 2021 yearning class hits the track and continuing into the 2023 Kentucky Derby. thirsty in 2021, they will have 46 chances to find a star. The odds are in their favor.
