The 149th Kentucky Derby is fast approaching, and the anticipation has reached high-octane levels. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for the answer to one question- who will take home the glory by winning this year’s race? Of course, no one likes to lose at the races, not even the billionaire Mike Repole. While Repole has had brilliant success in life, his Derby dream is yet to manifest.

Never say never, they say. And Mike Repole seems to live by this philosophy as well. The successful businessman might have amassed a fortune equalling a worth of $1.5 billion, but he is still waiting for the day when he gets called the owner of a horse who left everyone tasting dirt in The Run for the Roses. This year, he might get the honor after all.

The Kentucky Derby favorite might redeem Mike Repole

As a billionaire entrepreneur with a passion for Thoroughbred racing, chances are that Repole would not leave any stone unturned when it comes to winning at the Derby. In fact, Repole seems adamant about it. According to a report by USA Today, either he is going to win the race, or, “I’m going to die trying,” he said. The latter is highly unlikely, and Repole might have his best chance of the Derby yet. He is entering this year’s race with the fan favorite, Forte, owned by him and his partners, Vinnie and Teresa Viola.

The 2-year-old colt has already won four out of the five starts he’s had. Forte has been the champion of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, a Grade 1 stakes race, and returned with a bang from a four-month hiatus and went on to win the Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth, a Grade 2 stakes race. Although Forte is a promising candidate, Repole is still holding a little something back. He said, “It would be absurd (to win). I can’t put into words now, and if I was blessed enough to win it, I’d probably have less words then. There’s nothing more special.” This is not the first time Repole has backed a derby favorite, though the last time he did, it did not end well.

Read more: Days After Kentucky Derby Favorite’s Famous Disqualification, His Owner Offered $20,000,000 to Rivals Once

Repole’s crushed Derby dreams

It was 2011 when the billionaire’s dream to win the race was crushed brutally overnight. Mike Repole had entered the race with Uncle Mo, who, according to him, was the fastest horse he ever owned. Repole described him by saying, “He (could have been) American Pharoah before American Pharoah.” The comparison to the 2015 Triple Crown winner might have been an apt one, except Uncle Mo came down with an illness before the 2011 Kentucky Derby, and could not participate.

Repole has bought horses worth almost a million, with the costliest being Abstract and Dream Like, both going for a solid $975,000. While these horses have not amounted to a lot, it seems like Repole’s luck might be changing after all. Forte, at $110,000 was not a costly purchase for the entrepreneur, and look how the horse turned out! Forte paved the way to the Derby fast enough that Mike Repole has all his wishes pinned on the fan favorite.

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Only time will tell if the billionaire finally succeeds in his endeavor to win the Kentucky Derby. Repole might have been burnt once, but he has not given up on his dream. Do you believe in Forte, as much as his owner does?