90% of the chatter and bloviating on social media seems to come from the same 10% of the people on there.
Talk is cheap, cheaper by wealthy individuals
The recent public sparring between The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards and Mike Repole has officially ushered in the “Litigation Era” of Thoroughbred racing. For decades, the industry has operated under the quiet, often opaque guidance of a self-selected elite. But as 2026 unfolds, the friction between “Old Money” tradition and “New Money” disruption has moved from backroom disagreements to open warfare on X and in the press.
The Jockey Club’s recent open letter, characterized by its defensive tone and dismissal of Repole’s “reckless accusations,” suggests that the ivory tower is finally feeling the heat. While the Board attempts to frame Repole’s campaign as a pursuit of ego and misinformation, they ignore the underlying reality: their stewardship has coincided with a sport in a state of managed decline.
It is time to move past the rhetoric and demand a “Put Up or Shut Up” era of accountability.
The Aftercare Litmus Test
The most glaring example of the current impasse is aftercare. The Jockey Club claims to be the single largest funder of aftercare, yet Repole’s comprehensive funding plan was reportedly dismissed for lacking “incentives” and “measurable success.”
If The Jockey Club is truly committed to the horse, they should break the “Old Boys’ Club” cycle and appoint Repole to lead a national aftercare initiative. Let him run with his plan. If it succeeds, the horses win; if it fails, the industry knows where the bloviating ends and the reality begins. Giving a seat at the table to a man willing to disrupt the status quo is the only way to prove that the mission comes before the ego.
The 18-Month Accountability Mandate
The Jockey Club has long benefited from a lack of competition and a lack of consequences. To regain any semblance of sincere credibility, the “New Jockey Club” must deliver tangible results on the issues that are currently strangling the sport. We are proposing a firm 18-month window for the current leadership to address the following:
- Ending the Puerto Rico Pipeline: Implement ironclad, enforceable procedures to stop the shipping of vulnerable Thoroughbreds to Puerto Rico, a crisis that remains a stain on the industry’s soul.
- Fixing the CAW Imbalance: Address the unsustainable Computer-Assisted Wagering (CAW) environment. The current system hoses long-term players and retail bettors to favor “whales” using high-speed algorithms and direct tie in to the tote system. The “revolting door” of data sales must be addressed to ensure the betting public isn’t being cannibalized. That wasn’t a type-o.
- Foal Crop Restoration: Move beyond blaming tax codes and economic cycles. Implement a proactive, aggressive plan to incentivize breeding and increase the foal crop back toward sustainable levels.
- Data Liberalization: Learn that while some data is proprietary, the fundamental statistics required to handicap the game must be free and available. Transparency is the only way to build trust with a modern audience.
- Inter-Track Unity: Force tracks to work together on scheduling and safety standards rather than operating as independent silos that compete for a shrinking pool of horses and bettors.
There is more but we’ll be kind and keep things realistic.
The Stakes
The current board members—names like Dobson, Finlay, and Viola—are individuals of immense wealth and influence. But in the business world, wealth is a measure of past success; in racing governance, it must be a tool for future survival.
If this leadership fails to hit these benchmarks within the next 18 months, they should resign from the top down. The “cockfighting” between the different faces of racing only serves to alienate the fans and owners the sport desperately needs. I chose “cockfighting” for a reason here: if neither side addresses the recent video which appears to show two of the stars of racing, Irad and Jose Ortiz, engaging in the torture and abuse of animals in an illegal gambling environment then they all prove they have no credibility and none deserve the chance to right any ship. Bottom line, if you don’t address that you just ain’t for real.
Mike Repole has signaled that he has “no financial ceiling” for litigation and discovery. The Jockey Club can either continue to hide behind open letters and legal stays, or they can embrace a new era of collaborative, transparent leadership. Now is the time to decide if they are stewards of a thriving sport or merely the executors of its decline. Give the man a chance, break the club, and let’s see who truly has the goods to save racing.
Give the men a chance
