Owner Mike Repole may be considered a coupled entry with Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, but there’s another Hall of Famer waiting in the wings.
Repole says he intends to send an unraced and unnamed Repole Stable homebred Uncle Mo filly to trainer Nick Zito, whose famed career has seen a decline in recent years.
“I have about 10-12 trainers,” Repole said. “I’m putting horses in the hands of new trainers. I’m using people like Norm Casse who is the son of a Hall of Fame trainer and a young, up-and-coming trainer; and Nick Zito, a 75-year-old up-and-coming trainer. I’m sharing the wealth.”
Repole, who owns a share of well over 100 horses in training across the country, has enjoyed his greatest Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup success with the New York-based Pletcher. But he recently shipped some of his horses to smaller circuits and turned claiming horses over to different handlers, working out new associations with trainers such as Brittany Russell, Dave Donk, and soon, Zito.
“When a young trainer is struggling and working his butt off I give that person a lot of respect for chasing their dream. In Nick’s case, he’s a Hall of Fame trainer,” said Repole, whose days have been filled lately with his work as the commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Alliance he formed to foster industry change. “He’s 75 and trying to stay afloat but he’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. He hasn’t forgotten how to train horses. I know it’s been humbling for him, but I want to be part of his comeback.”
Mike Repole at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
For Zito, who won a combined six races in 2021-23 (through Dec. 28), the impending arrival at his Oaklawn Park barn of a soon-to-turn 3-year-old filly from a major stable is a “shot in the arm.”
“I’m very thankful. I’ve known Mike for more than 10 years and I love this guy. He’s a wonderful human being. That’s why I like talking to the guy. He has heart,” Zito said. “He’s the right guy for me. He’s got some bread, real money. That’s important in today’s world. He speaks his mind. He doesn’t care what people say about him. He’s also very smart.”
The filly is the second of three foals out of the Bernardini mare Enthrall and a half sister to the winning Good Magic gelding Rule It . Enthrall was a stakes-placed earner of $107,649 in her racing career. For Zito, the kind of faith in him displayed by Repole is something he has been searching for in recent years.
Go back in time 15 years and the charismatic New Yorker operated one of the premier stables in the sport. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and shined in the Triple Crown, winning five classics—the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) twice, and the Preakness Stakes (G1) once—while recording 10 seconds and five thirds.
Along with Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, and Barclay Tagg, Zito is one of only four active trainers with wins in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
But it all started to unravel in 2012 when New York State penalized him for unpaid overtime and a year later his highly successful 12-year association with owner Robert LaPenta came to an end. For the first time in decades, Zito needed to recruit owners, instead of turning them away, and his stable fell into a decline.
“What happened is I let my guard down. Is some of this my fault? Probably, because I am not a promoter. When you’re down and you don’t have the horses in the big grade 1s and 2s like people expect from you, it hurts,” Zito said. “We were the first ones with a labor dispute in New York. I fought it for 10 years and I didn’t get the right direction. My lawyer said ‘don’t worry, don’t worry’ and it ended a million dollars later. That was my life savings. At the same time, I split with Bob LaPenta. I’ve been trying to rob Peter to pay Paul to stay in business. Thankfully the (owner) Mossarosa people have been unbelievable and really helped me.”
In 2003 at Churchill Downs, Zito with fellow Derby winning trainer Lynn Whiting.
In a career that dates back to 1973, Zito-trained horses have amassed 2,062 wins and purse earnings of $112.4 million, good for 24th on the all-time earnings list. After posting 76 wins and earnings of $5.6 million in 2010, he had just 22 wins and earnings of slightly less than a million in 2016.
The nadir came during a 570-day stretch from July 27, 2021 through Feb. 17, 2023 when he lost 119 straight races. He won three races in 2021, none in 2022, and this year has three wins from 53 starts through Dec. 28.
“Once you go into a downward spiral there’s a feeling the game has passed you by. But sometimes these things just happen. Nick’s been in a 10-year rut. He’s known the highest of highs and lowest of lows but he still knows how to train a horse,” Repole said. “He hasn’t won a graded stakes since 2014 (the Swale Stakes, G2, with Spot) and how cool would it be to get him that graded stakes win.”
Zito knows that getting a better caliber of horses, such as youngsters from top stallions such as Uncle Mo, is what he needs to rejuvenate his stable.
“I’ve met a lot of coaches and baseball managers in my life. Really great people,” Zito said. “And I learned from them that if you don’t have the players, it’s not going to work.”
While Zito acknowledges he would love to add more than one horse from Repole, he understands small steps are better than none.
“Hey, it’s Christmas time,” he said. “I’d love a couple of presents, but I’ll take one and be happy.”
