St. John's donor Mike Repole and Rick Pitino horses strike out at Belmont Stakes
The billionaire entrepreneur and St. John's basketball benefactor did not step inside. It was not his time.
His horse, Fierceness, the winner of the 2024 Travers Stakes, the signature summer event at this historic track, finished second by 2 ¹/₂ lengths to California invader Raging Torrent in the $1 million Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.
While the 8-1 Raging Torrent earned an automatic bid to this fall's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher were left to pick up the pieces.
'If you told me he'd finish ahead of White Abarrio and Just a Touch, I'd [believe I'd] be taking my picture in the winner's circle,' Repole told The Post. 'You know, it happens. We knew [Raging Torrent] was going to go for the lead. He got brave. I thought at the 3/8ths pole we had him, the quarter pole we had him. And then I saw him open up and, you know, I don't know.
'It was a tough, tough race and a tough, tough loss,' Repole said, 'and there's absolutely no excuse.'
Raging Torrent's jockey, Frankie Dettori, praised his horse's will to win.
'At the quarter pole, I was in the lap of gods,' the 54-year-old Italian rider said. 'He showed great determination to get to the line.
3 Raging Torrent races past Fierceness to the finish line to win the Metropolitan Handicap on Belmon Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course on June 7, 2025.
JASON SZENES/ NY POST
'He puts his head down, even when [Fierceness] pressured me [and he fought really hard.'
Fierceness, the sub-even-money favorite, got into trouble immediately breaking out of the Wilson chute, which sends horses directly into the middle of the first turn.
'Johnny [Velazquez] said he broke so sharply he kind of hit the gate and came back with some blood on his mouth from hitting the gate at the start,' Pletcher said. 'The first 16th of a mile was pretty rough. They were bouncing around trying to get position. After that he got into the exact position we wanted to, he just couldn't get by the horse in the lead.'
3 St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks with the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Bronx, NY.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Repole said Fierceness likely will be targeted for the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 2 at Saratoga.
In the 10th race, A.P. Kid, ridden by Velazquez and trained by Pletcher, ran past the leader at the top of the stretch and pulled away by five widening lengths.
Repole and his contingent of 80 family and friends later watched long shot Uncaged finish out of the money in the Belmont Stakes.
3 Mike Repole watches his horse, Fierceness, finish second in the Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes day.
Jason Szenes / New York Post
Repole wasn't the only owner with St. John's connections to enter a horse on Belmont Stakes Day.
Coach Rick Pitino's RAP Racing took a fourth place in the fifth race with Aggelos the Great.
Pitino was not in attendance but told The Post in a text: 'We're disappointed. We all thought he was ready to win. But, you know, [it's] horse racing.'
Pitino said he was told by jockey Manny Franco the horse did not like the muddy conditions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
20 minutes ago
- New York Post
Former NBA star Jayson Williams celebrates Nassau trucker rehab program: ‘I want to be helping people'
From the bright lights to headlights. Former St. John's standout and NBA great Jayson Williams is leading a Nassau Country rehab program that has transformed nearly a dozen formerly incarcerated men and women — giving them a new lease on life as truck drivers. 'When I was up there getting the diploma, man, I almost cried. … I worked hard for this day,' Timmy Jones, 39, told The Post after Monday's graduation ceremony at Nassau Community College. Advertisement 4 Former NBA star Jayson Williams speaking to members of the Jayson Williams program, which helps formerly incarcerated men and women earn their trucking licenses. James Messerschmidt Jones, who served more than 15 years for manslaughter, was a member of Rebound on the Road's first Long Island class. 'You got family members that won't give you another chance after coming home from prison during a long term, so this meant a lot,' he said. Advertisement The eight-week initiative is the brainchild of the ex-New Jersey Net, who himself was locked up for 27 months after the accidental 2002 shooting of his limo driver, Costas Christofi. Williams, once a ferocious rebounder on the hardwood, is now using that passion to attack this latest venture. 'I'm here seven days a week — at least. I think Sundays are probably ten hours a day, everything else about 13,14 hour days,' said Williams, who has devoted his life to helping others since his release. 'I love it. I really do. You see the difference it makes … and we put out a good product.' Advertisement 4 The program had it's first graduation at Nassau Community College in Uniondale on Aug. 11, 2025. James Messerschmidt Full speed ahead Beyond skills behind the wheel of a big rig, Williams prioritizes life lessons and mental health for his students as they get ready for what he calls not a second chance, but another chance. Classmates who don't say good morning get sent home, while Williams also invested in boxing gloves, which he calls the 'suggestion box,' to air out grievances. He also takes the class jet skiing, prioritizes prayer and requires those who can to skydive as a way of breaking through their comfort zones. Advertisement 4 Clayrone Garner told The Post the program's garden has helped him grow as a person. James Messerschmidt 'I've been wanting to do skydiving outside of the program, so I'm actually really excited about that,' said recent grad Clayrone Garner, who is yet to plunge from the plane. 'It gives you something more to work towards.' The faith Williams puts into his students isn't lost on Jones either, who said that the apprentices pay it back in their work ethic. 'We've been out here going hard from sunup to sundown since the program opened,' he said of the group that bonds over barbecues and a vegetable garden they grow near the truck lot on campus. Garner, who also went away for a violent crime, said the garden grows watermelon and squash — and has turned into a mental health metaphor about treating oneself. Call it the garden of dreams. Advertisement 'The garden teaches you life's value a little bit more from growth … the more you know, the more knowledge you put into your mind, the more good things you put into the atmosphere, the better off you are,' he said. 'It's almost like a home away from home,' Garner added of the program. Williams, meanwhile, touts success on the students' desire for positive change. 'It only works because of the energy,' he said. Advertisement 'I've been out of the schools and other programs where people just come in like they're doing you a favor. Here, they come in and they're thirsty.' Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman knew right away things would move a mile a minute when Williams first pitched him on the program a few months ago. 'We believe in law and order,' Blakeman said. 'That's why we're the safest county in America. But just putting people in jail is not the sole solution to the problems. 4 Williams said the program teaches members life lessons and mental health skills in addition to trucking. James Messerschmidt Advertisement 'We have to get people to reinvent their lives in a productive way, to be good citizens and good members of society.' Nassau initially poured $1 million into Rebound on the Road and recently pledged another $300,000 after seeing the success of the first graduating class. 'In the long run, this makes us safer because these people won't get back into crime,' Blakeman said. 'It brings down our recidivism rate — and it gives them hope.' Advertisement On top of that, it's given Williams a dream job for life on Long Island. 'If Saint John's called me up and asked me to coach, I would say no,' he said. 'I want to be helping people with their lives, not score more points.'
New York Post
15 hours ago
- New York Post
Jordon Hudson responds to podcast host going public with awkward cold-call story
It didn't take long for Jordon Hudson to share her side of the story. After it was made public that Bill Belichick's girlfriend cold-called podcaster Charlotte Wilder for frequently discussing her relationship and her competing in the Miss Maine pageant on a shared podcast with co-host Madison Hill's 'The Sports Gossip Show,' Hudson indirectly weighed in on Instagram. The 24-year-old shared a story on the social media platform that she was tagged in by a seemingly fitness influencer/coach, who called out Wilder's 'disappointing take.' 'This was such a disappointing take for me,' the user wrote. '<> Be real. Do I have to seriously argue against (female!) sports journalists that @jordon has is justified in pursuing @missmeusa @missamerica for her own career and interests regardless of who she is dating??' 4 Jordon Hudson shares an Instagram story, backing her in the recent drama with 'The Sports Gossip Show.' 4 Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson leave the Holiday inn in Portland, Maine after coming runner-up in the Miss Maine USA competition. Toby Canham for NY Post The former Bridgewater State cheerleader hasn't liked what she has seen of The Athletic's coverage of her relationship with the 73-year-old University of North Carolina football coach, and the podcast has recently been taken under the ownership of the outlet. That apparently boiled over into a recent phone call with Wilder as Hudson began the chat by announcing herself as 'the president of your universe' to the host. The remark is in reference to a comment made during a show focused on Hudson's participation in the pageant of her home state. 4 Charlotte Wilder (right) and co-host Madison Hill on 'The Sports Gossip Show.' The Sports Gossip Show/YouTube Wilder described much of the call as 'word salad,' she was unable to understand the point of Hudson's message. 'She would oscillate between, like, friendly, but there was clearly like an edge to her voice where she kind of wanted to let me have it,' Wilder described. Things did get cordial for a while as Wilder, co-host Madison Hill and Hudson partook in a number of FaceTime calls. Hudson offered to travel to New York to do an in-person, sit-down interview with Wilder and Hill, but that was later shut down the day the conversation was set to happen, according to Wilder Hudson, according to Wilder, had not watched all of the podcast's dedicated Miss Maine episode, and that sparked another call. 'She's yelling at me. She's crying. She said that she finished the rest of the Miss Maine episode, and she didn't like what we said,' Wilder said. 'And I was like, 'Wait what?' I was like, 'I thought we've been talking about the Miss Maine episode that we did that you watched the whole time?' 4 Jordon Hudson received the second runner-up prize during the Miss Maine 2025 pageant on May 11. Toby Canham for NY Post Wilder admitted she even tried to 'save her from herself,' telling Hudson they were going to discuss the phone call on their podcast, even if she did not go through with the interview. Hudson and Belichick's relationship came to light in June 2024, but they had begun dating in early 2023.
New York Post
18 hours ago
- New York Post
Will Warren in awe of Ron Guidry, Yankees' Old-Timers' Day in glimpse of future possibilities
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free In his first taste of major league life, Will Warren had a sour taste of Old-Timers' Day. Last year, he was the day's starting pitcher — and was knocked around by the Rockies — on an afternoon during which he 'didn't get to meet anyone,' Warren said. Pitchers are busy on the day of their start. So this season, Warren was happy to see the event fall on a mere workout day for him. On Saturday, he threw a bullpen session and rushed over to the home dugout, where he could soak up the atmosphere and converse with Yankees legends of yesterday. Part of the allure of the day involves players such as Warren — a 26-year-old rookie still figuring out his way in the majors — chatting with greats such as Ron Guidry, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams and Roger Clemens. He had met them all during spring training — and Pettitte is around all the time as an adviser — but hanging out with the Yankees icons and simply watching them play was an experience he enjoyed. 3 New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, USA, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST 3 Ron Guidry (L), Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte are seen on the field during batting practice before the start of Old Timers' Day. JASON SZENES/ NY POST 'To actually watch them play, it was cool because I'm like: The fact that Gator can get on a mound and throw,' Warren said Sunday of the 74-year-old Guidry. 'I'm like, 'No way. I want to be able to do that when I'm his age.' That's cool. 'I was just looking around, like, 'This is crazy.' ' Guidry, Clemens, Pettitte and David Cone pitched in the exhibition. The atmosphere had more of an effect on Warren than any bits of advice, but there were plenty of words of encouragement from the greats such as, 'Keep going, I'm doing great, things like that,' Warren said. Will a 70-year-old Warren be an Old-Timer one day? 3 Former New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (l) watches from the dugout with former Yankees pitchers Andy Pettitte (c) and Mariano Rivera (r) during the Old Timers' Day Ceremony at Yankee Stadium. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images 'For sure, if they let me,' Warren said with a smile. The afternoon was a success with one large exception: the torn Achilles that befell Mariano Rivera. A hobbling Rivera did stick around to shake hands with some of the Old-Timers and Yankees, but he will require surgery next week. 'Brutal,' manager Aaron Boone said of his former teammate. 'I didn't see him after, but I know he was in Mo-like spirits. Excited for rehab.'
