Repole’s stable just warming up

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mike Repole hopes that Misconnect’s 11-1 upset victory in Monday’s Grade 3 General George Handicap at Laurel Park was the start of a big week for his stable.

Repole will have contenders in both stakes races this weekend at Aqueduct with Overprepared in Saturday’s $100,000 Busher Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and the tag team of Micromanage and Village Warrior in Sunday’s rescheduled $100,000 Evening Attire Stakes. The Evening Attire, for older males at 1 1/16 miles, was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed when that card was canceled due to extreme cold.

Though he has won six races at Aqueduct’s inner-track meet, Repole’s stable has been a little quiet on the big stage. Misconnect’s victory in the General George was Repole’s first graded stakes win since Stopchargingmaria won the Grade 1 Alabama in August.

More importantly for Repole, it was his first graded stakes victory with trainer Bruce Levine, with whom he had won 182 races before the General George.

“It felt like a Grade 1,” Repole said.

Misconnect, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for his neck victory over Cutty Shark in the General George, will be pointed to the Grade 1 Carter on April 4 at Aqueduct.

Meanwhile, Repole will be participating in a plethora of upcoming stakes.

Overprepared was a front-running winner of the Busanda Stakes last month but will face a tougher task in the Busher when she meets graded stakes winners Condo Commando and Paulassilverlining.

“Her maiden win looked great. She didn’t have a shot in her stakes debut at Laurel,” Repole said. “I don’t think she necessarily wants to be on the lead. This will be a big test for her and let us know if we’ll be thinking Gazelle” – a Grade 2 prep for the Kentucky Oaks on April 4 – “or thinking of another spot.”

Micromanage has won a pair of listed stakes over the inner track and figures to be heavily favored in the Evening Attire, provided it does fill when entries are retaken Thursday. Three of the original entrants landed in other races. Repole hasn’t given up the Grade 1 aspirations he had for Micromanage when he bought him as a yearling for $170,000.

“I still think the best race of his career is still ahead of him,” Repole said. “He’s going to find a spot where he’s going to be in a Grade 1 at 10 or 11, and he’s going to shock a lot of people. He’s not going to shock [trainer] Todd Pletcher, and he’s not going to shock me.”

Repole said that while handicappers may view Village Warrior as a rabbit for Micromanage, it’s not out of the question that the 4-year-old son of Majestic Warrior could steal the race on the front end.

Looking farther down the road, Repole plans to run Dontbetwithbruno, a recent maiden winner at Aqueduct, in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 7. He also is considering sending Blame Jim, recently second in a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream, up for that race as well.