Horse racing can offer a ton of adrenaline not only for the jockeys who ride these majestic animals but also for the audience. However, the sport is not forgiving, as a single mishap during training or racing can take the lives of these fast yet fragile creatures. This concern has emerged in California, where the sport is admired a lot, owing to the deaths of 23 horses over the course of the 2024 season. Well, there are plenty of speculations, especially doubts over the safety standards in California, and recently, a big name in horse racing has raised his fair share of concerns.

Mike Repole, who has plenty of horses under his name racing all over the world, is no stranger to these problems going on in the state, and he addressed them following a successful race at the Breeders Cup Classic. It’s a fact that Repole is a New Yorker, but he knows the value that horse racing has in the state of California. Why’s that so? Because there are a lot of events that are hosted in the state and have a large audience who await to see the sport. However, despite its popularity, the sport has seen a decline due to the rising number of equine fatalities in these renowned racecourses.

Throughout the 2024 season, there have been plenty of races featured in the state. Majorly due to racing and training injuries, the Santa Anita Park and the Los Alamitos Race Course have seen 11 and 12 deaths, respectively. These statistics are only limited, as there are also a lot of equine fatalities in the state due to various other reasons, which mostly go unregistered. 

As reported by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, apart from stating his sole concerns for the passion for horse racing in California, Mike Repole also warned his fellow enthusiasts about a certain shift in the sport, stating, “You’re not a national sport if you’re not in California. It’s not like if California goes, ‘we get more (market) share.’ No, if California goes, you lose. You might win (more business) for another year or two, but long-term (there would be) less and less interest.”

If the sport completely perishes due to the rise of the safety concerns of equine, then it would be a big disaster for everybody that is linked in the industry. Surely he is worried about his horses too, but the 55-year-old wanted to share his insights owing to a bigger spectrum and a better cause, stating, “What I’m trying to do is (create) a little more urgency, a call to action. I’ve made some good friends out of it, and I have some people who hate me more than ever. And I’m motivated by both. Because the goal is to try to help racing.”

Repole is a horse racing enthusiast, and his demands are clear, as he doesn’t want the sport to die in a state where there’s an audience that looks forward to racing every weekend. Talking about California, one of the 55-year-old’s horses did participate in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, and it was a race that was incredible.

Mike Repole’s colt fierce battle at the Breeder’s Cup Classic

The Breeder’s Cup Classic at Del Mar was greeted by a big audience and bigger names in the sport. Horses like Susumu Fujita’s Yoshito Yagahi-trained Forever Young were one of the most anticipated ones to perform. However, Mike Repole’s Fierceness took the command of the $7 million purse race after the first bend and was looking really dominant out on the Del Mar racecourse.

The fate of the Breeder’s Cup Classic changed in the final turn when, out of nowhere, Sierra Leone took the lead in the race. The Chad Brown-trained horse ridden by Flavien Prat was charging up the racecourse, keeping Fierceness behind. This position was not altered until the finish line, and these two magnificent equines finished the race 1-2, with Sierra Leone claiming the victory. Even though Repole’s horse lost the battle, it was pure joy for horse racing fans who were present on the Californian track for such adrenaline-filled action.