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What Mike Repole Told Irad Ortiz Jr. After Kentucky Derby Loss Says Everything

What Mike Repole Told Irad Ortiz Jr. After Kentucky Derby Loss Says Everything

First Sportz 1 week ago

In Kentucky, at the famed Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo cruised to a victory after a tight battle with Renegade. The bay colt, bred at the stables of Phipps and St. Elias, was jockeyed by Puerto Rican Jose Ortiz and trained by Charlie DeVaux , who became the first-ever female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.

It was a historic evening, cheers ringing out everywhere and pure joy for the stables, José, DeVaux, and those who bet on Golden Tempo. For Ortiz, the 152nd Kentucky Derby was his third Triple Crown win, almost four years since his win at the Preakness Stakes. On the flip side, atop Renegade was Irad Ortiz Jr., who lost out on what would have been his maiden Triple Crown to his younger brother.

The 33-year-old started out jockeying at a very young age alongside his brother. He has several accolades to his name, but it is known that he's been chasing the prestigious Kentucky Derby for a long time now. In fact, this one was his 12th attempt, and losing it on such small margins, Irad was distraught and visibly upset.

It was Mike Repole, the owner of Renegade, who quickly came to console Ortiz. The billionaire horse racing enthusiast wrapped his hands around the elder Ortiz, hugging him multiple times while offering words of affection and admiration.

'If you're ever going to f*****g lose, you lose to your brother. Family won today,' Repole said during their interaction. The wholesome interaction has since gone viral, more than a million people have watched one of the best sporting moments of the year.

Repole later complimented Ortiz for his efforts while admitting how tough of a race it was between Golden Tempo and Renegade for the winner.

I saw Irad. I saw Renegade. It was a tough race to win. You can't be disappointed with the effort… You know, I gave a small consolation, he lost to his younger brother, so Ortiz family is happy but he isn't. Such a great rider and he hasn't won the Kentucky Derby. i wanted him to win more than anyone else.

After a sucessful evening in Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo was back at Charlie DeVaux's barn by Sunday morning. It hasn't been many days since his win, but the conversation has already shifted to the next race, the Preakness Stakes.

The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the American Triple Crown, held at Laurel Park in Maryland for the first time, takes place on May 16, 2026. Charlie DeVaux has barely had any time to process the win but she has already given some idea about the upcoming race.

We're going to look and see how much energy he has when he's on track, see how he's moving, see his attitude.

DeVaux also addressed how the media around her has been speculating about Golden Tempo's presence. She made her stance known, letting everyone know that she won't be considering their opinions and that he comes first before anyone else.

Other people's opinions are not part of the conversation. I appreciate that there is history with the Triple Crown. I appreciate that everyone's excited about it; however, the horse comes first.

Meanwhile, Todd Fletcher, Renegade's trainer revealed that Renegade might be skipping the Maryland event and rest ahead of the Belmont Stakes in early June.

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