Belmont Stakes: Repole believes his horses belong
ELMONT, N.Y. - As a native New Yorker who has been attending races at Aqueduct and Belmont for nearly three decades, owner Mike Repole has made no bones about his desire to win the Belmont Stakes.
“This is the race I want to win, this is the race for 30 years I dreamt of winning,” Repole said.
So it came as no surprise when he ultimately decided to run three horses in the race, including the filly Unlimited Budget (8-1 on the morning line), Arkansas Derby winner Overanalyze (12-1) and Midnight Taboo (30-1).
Repole doesn’t see any downside in running any of the three, including Midnight Taboo, who is still eligible for a first-level allowance race, as are Belmont entrants Golden Soul, Palace Malice, and Frac Daddy.
“Every time you run a horse, whether it’s the Derby or it’s a Grade 1, they’re always going to have to go fast, they’re always going to have to be on top of their game,” Repole said. “I gave them five weeks off between starts. I would be concerned if I was an owner that ran a horse in the Derby and Preakness – three races in five weeks. To me, that’s a bigger concern than an owner running horses every five weeks.”