SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (NEWS10) — Billionaire Mike Repole, the co-founder of Bodyarmor SuperDrink and Glacéau Vitaminwater, nearly missed his horse racing to victory in the Birdstone Stakes Thursday at Saratoga Race Course.
“At the top of the stretch, I actually went to the bathroom,” said Repole. “It looked like was going to be third. I came back, and saw that he won.”
Repole, an avid horse racing fan, also owns Repole Stable. It was Repole’s horse, “Fearless,” that won the Birdstone Stakes under jockey Luis Saez, and trainer Todd A. Pletcher.
Repole believes the name “Fearless” perfectly encapsulates the horse’s effort down the stretch of the race.
“That was all guts, man; all heart,” said Repole. “Honestly, you talk about a special horse; this is a really, really cool gelding. Whoever named him named him properly, man. He is fearless.”
The weather was a mystery for much of the afternoon at the track, but the skies cleared just long enough for the running of the Birdstone.
Nevertheless, the rain earlier in the day made for a muddy, difficult 1.75-mile track. Pletcher recognized the early apprehension of “Fearless” under the subject conditions, but praised the horse’s late resurgence.
“This (track’s) playing like a mile and seven-eighths; you could tell he (“Fearless”) wasn’t real happy,” said Pletcher. “But you gotta give him a lot of credit. That win was on all heart right there.”
“Fearless” entered the race with the best odds to win at 4-5. This was Pletcher’s 10th win at Saratoga this season, and the 12th win for Saez.