Breeders’ Cup Classic 2025: Let Contrary Thinking run

The ink for Breeders’ Cup pre-entries hadn’t even been put to paper, let alone dry, before Mike Repole once again got up on his anti-rabbit soap box. The target? Sierra Leone’s emotional support stablemate Contrary Thinking. Rather than regale you with a “he said, she said” synopsis, I’ll just drop the offending tweet below.

How do I even begin to unpack this? For someone who labels himself the unofficial commissioner of horse racing, Repole sure appears to be lacking on his history of the sport of kings. Now admittedly, he did address a few things in follow up tweets, however, despite acknowledging the historical use of rabbits, or pacesetters as they are referred to across the pond, he still comes across as a petulant child when discussing what is a legitimate strategy.

One of the most famous races ever run, the 1967 Woodward, featured not just one rabbit but two. With the freakishly fast Dr. Fager in the field and Horse of the Year honors on the line, Frank Whiteley, trainer of Damascus, and Eddie Neloy, trainer of Buckpasser, both entered rabbits to soften up the brilliant 3-year-old. Damascus would go on to win that race by 10 lengths after Dr. Fager posted a suicidal 1:09 1/5 split for the opening three-quarters. Hedevar would go on to go to bat against the Doc on behalf of Damascus several times throughout their careers. More recently, Ken and Sarah Ramsay frequently utilized Shining Copper as a rabbit for their more accomplished runners.

Circling back to Repole and his ridiculous issue with Contrary Thinking running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. One of his biggest arguments is that having a rabbit in the race causes unsafe racing conditions, and he points to the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) to prove his point. Except his version of what happened is wildly incorrect. There was no intent by Kendrick Carmouche on Phileas Fogg nor Dylan Davis on Contrary Thinking to cause the incident that resulted in Mindframe unseating Irad Ortiz Jr.

Directly after the race, Repole eviscerated Davis, calling for him to be suspended, even though it was Carmouche and Phileas Fogg that set off the chain reaction. Repole even went so far as to state that he was more angry with Davis than with Carmouche. He then doubled down and called for Sierra Leone to also be disqualified because it was his rabbit that created the problem. And just when you thought the tirade was over, Repole upped the ante by declaring that he was going to lodge a protest with the stewards concerning Contrary Thinking being allowed to enter and run. Okay, commish, how did that work out for you?

With just over a week to go until the Classic, Repole is again foaming at the mouth over the pre-entry of Contrary Thinking. But here’s the thing, the only one hurting from his entry in the race is owner Peter Brant who must foot the bill for running a horse that on paper has no shot at winning. He’s essentially throwing away money. And for those that believe Contrary Thinking is stealing a spot from a more deserving entrant, that’s not how any of this works. First off, the Classic didn’t even draw a full field. Secondly, if it had, there is a points system, much like with the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, that determines who aside from challenge race winners gets a spot in the gate.

And let’s be honest, Sierra Leone doesn’t need Contrary Thinking. He may not always win, but he runs his race regardless of the pace and always finishes in the trifecta. Look at the 2023 Remsen (G2). Sierra Leone lost by just a nose to Dornoch despite that one setting a rather sensible pace. Will Contrary Thinking’s presence help Sierra Leone? Absolutely. But here’s the kicker. Repole’s colt Fierceness was partially responsible for that insane 44.96-second opening half in last year’s Classic, setting everything up perfectly for Sierra Leone. So his beef with the gelding is moot.

Let Contrary Thinking run, and may the best horse win.