Baffert: Repole “just trying to build a price for himself”

by Paulick Report Staff | 05.05.2011 | 2:37pm

Trainer Bob Baffert won't have any runners in this year's Derby

Hall of Fame Trainer Bob Baffert isn’t buying the whole “Uncle Mo is 50-50″ line from owner Mike Repole. On the Churchill Downs backside Thursday morning, Baffert was his usual colorful self with reporters:

“Uncle Mo looks fantastic out there to me,” Baffert said. “He’s the best horse in the race. I don’t care what rumors you hear. You can’t throw him out. He’s looked great to me. Everyone is talking about him being 50/50. I think [owner Mike Repole] is just trying to build a price for himself because it sounds like he likes to gamble. He’s going to be dangerous. I don’t think it’s some [gastrointestinal issue], I think he just got tired at the Wood [Memorial]. From what I’ve seen visually, there is nothing there that tells me the horse isn’t ready to run. I’m not buying that crap. He’s just trying to steal this race.”

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SixteenK Claimer

Roberto Bafferto tells it like it is ! He always does.
Midnight Interlude all the way baby!!
Kelso

Uncle Mo has been declared…..scratched, folks!
Glimmerglass

Kelso, as you likely know, the formal decision will be made in the morning.

Alex Brown with The Rail blog at NYT has a just released headline of “Scratch Uncle Mo” but it’s a request not a statement of fact.
Jay

Perhaps the Five Minute Rule would have been better.,
Swamp Fox

I heard Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey have scored an on-track exclusive from Johnny V for about 6.20pm on Saturday.
Trappeddownontherail

If Uncle Mo does a Life at Ten, what then? Does Pletcher keep his license?
voice of reason

Keep his license? He gets an Eclipse award for that!
Stillriledup

What the owner says now is irrelevant. Mo is either going to be in the gate or he’s not. If he’s in the gate, you have to think he’s 100 percent.

Baffert makes a great point…….Repole says he’s making a large wager onMo, yet, he seems to be trying to ‘talk people off’ his horse by saying “50 50″.
Mike R

Now wait a minute–M. Repole supposedly sold Vitamin water to Coke for $4 billion–with a B–and now he is trying to get 5 or 6 to 1 instead of 4 to 1 or 7/2 on a horse bet? Please. Baffert needs to stick to training and commenting on his own horses.
Jammer Watch

Baffert would prefer all the attention Rapole is getting over the Uncle Mo situation to be directed at him. Baffert has never seen a camera he didn’t like.
Jan

Baffert was making a joke and they ran with it. That’s how boring this Derby is.
Chariset

I’d actually rather believe this than go with what I’m thinking in my heart of hearts — that Repole’s already got Stay Thirsty in the Derby and he doesn’t want to risk the loss to Mo’s reputation, so he’s preparing the ground for a ‘graceful’ exit.
equine paparazzi

I think Baffert was buidling his own price by touting Uncle Mo. This was a reverse tout of the reverse tout. Good God, Baffert is a genuis….
And anyone who thinks that Uncle Mo is 100% just because he loads in the gate needs to see last year’s BC Lady’s Classic. Watch out, Pletcher is fixing to screw you again…
Earl Sande

One thing Bob would know about is stealing!!!!!!!!!!
stymied

#14 about 13 mins ago by Earl Sande
One thing Bob would know about is stealing!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you’ve got some hard evidence to back up a statement like that.

#9 about 43 mins ago by Mike R
Now wait a minute–M. Repole supposedly sold Vitamin water to Coke for $4 billion–with a B–and now he is trying to get 5 or 6 to 1 instead of 4 to 1 or 7/2 on a horse bet? Please. Baffert needs to stick to training and commenting on his own horses.

Sounds to me like he was asked his opinion. But you hit the nail on the head…Repole SUPPOSEDLY sold for $4 Billion. Zayat is/was supposedly worth a lot of money too……..

#10 about 34 mins ago by Jammer Watch
Baffert would prefer all the attention Rapole is getting over the Uncle Mo situation to be directed at him. Baffert has never seen a camera he didn’t like.

Whether you choose to acknowledge or not, Baffert accommodates the media and often his offerings get sensationalized and people like you love to run with it as his being a media whore. If he refused to comment or be so open to the media you all would attack him for being to full of himself or some nonsense such as that. These guys are human; Pletcher’s a robot, Baffert’s a camera hog–what exactly can the players in the game do to make you guys happy? Yeah, I personally can’t wait to see Sherriffs, Zito, etc. be interviewed; I’m sure they are all nice guys but I nod off listening to them–Pletcher included. Anyway, I’ve never seen Bob chasing the camera guys or reporters down; have you? In fact,the “attention” he has received this Derby has shown a very subdued Baffert. I’m sure he’s got greater worries than to fret over comments from the jerks on these message boards. On that note, why am I?
Jackson

Repole & Todd P. will milk the press for all they can even if they know Uncle Mo is going to be scratched. This is “the making of a stallion”….at the very least he’ll go to stud as the morning-line favorite to win the Ky Derby. If he wasn’t entered, that little tidbit would be missing….might be worth $10K/cover at stud?
John

All Mr. Repole is doing is preparing us for the next excuse for Uncle Mo when he loses.
Common sense says if a horse is 50/50, the Good Lord, don’t run him. Simple as that.
A horse that is 50/50 with less than 45 hours to post time to the world’s greatest race should not run. Another other way is pure insannity.
Mike R

#15 Stymied–Baffert has never chased the camera guys down or the reporters because they are always chasing him down–it’s their job!
Double Jay

He’s only saying what a lot of people have speculated about: is the diarrhea problem real or a cover for something else. He just makes it a whole lot more amusing, thank God. Lenny Shulman asked Baffert if there was something to his run of horses named Midnight. Baffer replied, I think Midnight Intercourse was already taken so Midnight Interlude was chosen. Here I thought it was a musical term. The guy is funny.
Don Reed

Oh GOODY!

Another “50-50%” Derby.

I’m probably in the minority, but Mr. Repole is beginning to be irritating. Another reason why Sunday can’t get here soon enough.

But I do think that he should be given our country’s highest civilian medal. He has done something no other owner in racing has EVER been able to do –

Getting Todd Pletcher to laugh and then lighten up!

Todd, would you have any objections to being legally adopted by a billionaire?

And anyone who doesn’t know by now that Baffert has the best sense of humor in racing (sadly, winning that award is shooting fish in a barrel) -

Deserves to be trapped in an elevator during the next Preakness heat wave/electrical blackout.

By the way, did they ever get those people out after the power came back on?

Jiggles (#10; 17-1) at Wagga race course in Australia has just thrown a shoe.

No, Mr. Repole, you can’t use that excuse. We used it all up in 2008 after it took four weeks for someone to notice that that was what had happened to Big Brown.
Mary

Uncle Mo was officially scratched this morning (Friday).
Tammy

Sounds like Moe has been unofficially out since he bombed in Wood. It’s a shame he couldn’t carry his speed farther. Another crack sprinter.
Joe

#17 John: I agree with your post but would like to add to “A horse that is 50/50 with less than 45 hours to post time to the world’s greatest race should not run.” that a horse less than 50/50 should never race whether it is in what you call the “world’s greatest race” or in a bottom claiming race in the dead of winter in front of nobody down the road at Turfway Park.
The Punisher

Looks like Bob isn’t as smart as he thinks he is.
STYMIED

#18 about 18 hours ago by Mike R
#15 Stymied–Baffert has never chased the camera guys down or the reporters because they are always chasing him down–it’s their job!

That was my point, Mike. They chase him down and ask him to comment on various aspects of racing; not just his own horses. So as for him sticking to commenting on his own horses……
Stillriledup

#24, you have to read between the lines. Baffert said what he said, but his MESSAGE is that Repole is a shady guy who would do something like this. Its all how you read into it. Bob wasn’t technically right this time, but his message was ‘look out for this guy’