Mike Repole Compares Horse Fierceness to Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady Before Kentucky Derby
May 4, 2024
It's hard to be humble if you own the horse favored to win the Kentucky Derby.
During an appearance on Saturday's SportsCenter, Mike Repole, owner of Fierceness, compared the thoroughbred to Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant leading up to the Run for the Roses:
"I'm a fierce competitor in business. I was partners with Kobe Bryant, you don't get any more fierce than him. I'm partners with Tom Brady, you don't get any more fierce than him on the football field. And I think it's a quality that sometimes you could say, 'Wow, fierceness is violent.' But there's a fierceness about the way you go after life. There's a fierceness about the way you chase your dreams. That is okay. It actually should be encouraged, not discouraged. So, you know what? He's a very chill horse. He sits in the barn very unassuming and then he goes on that track, he's Kobe Bryant in Game 7 or it's Tom Brady in the Super Bowl."
If the horse was watching Repole talk at the time, or was later made aware of Repole's comments, it would only add to the pressure he's under being compared to the most successful quarterback in NFL history and one of the most dominant basketball players ever.
Brady and Bryant combined to win 12 titles during their illustrious careers.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Fierceness is a 5-2 favorite (bet $100 to win $250) to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. It's a close battle to be the betting favorite, with Sierre Leone entering the day with 3-1 odds.
Fierceness is coming off a victory at the Florida Derby on March 30. The colt also won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November.
Repole is looking to win the Kentucky Derby for the first time. His horses are 0-7 coming into this race, not including Uncle Mo in 2011 and Forte in 2023 because they were both scratched early.
Uncle Mo, the second-line favorite, was scratched the day before the Derby due to a gastrointestinal tract infection. Forte, an early favorite last year, was scratched the morning of the race due to a bruised right front hoof.
Post time for the 2024 Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET. Fierceness will start from the 17th gate.