Mike Repole can barely stay idle with his beautiful mind. The entrepreneur is always busy with something or the other, co-creating a billion-dollar brand somewhere, running his champion stable, or just being a mentor to the youth. To say that the man is talented would be an understatement. Well, the latest move by the 56-year-old has been to join the United Football League’s ownership group, linking up with the likes of FOX, ESPN, and Dwayne Johnson. But the Repole Stables owner also has his eye on the track, especially with key G1 races coming up.

The big news coming out of the New York-based stable involves 2 of their star 4-year-olds. FanDuel TV reporter Christina Blacker herself made contact with the stable and shared the update on X on August 25. “The goal is to run Mindframe in the Jockey Club and ship Fierceness to California in the Pacific Classic.” However this is not the final call, which will be made just before the entries.

Both Fierceness and Mindframe were supposed to run in the Travers Stakes on August 23, but Mike Repole decided to wait things out. It definitely would have been an uphill task, going up against the eventual winner, Sovereignty. In fact, Repole would rather have it easy, turning Dwayne Johnson’s faltering UFL vision into a globally recognized brand. That’s literally the bread and butter of the New York native.

But now, with the Pacific Classic and the Jockey Club Gold Cup coming up on August 30 and 31, respectively, the Repole Stables owner is planning how to get his older thoroughbreds back on the track. And it’s strategic, as Blacker’s post read. “Repole explained that his goal of strengthening the older horse division was the driving factor behind bringing back both Fierceness and Mindframe.”

Mike Repole also happened to name-drop Fierceness while giving his support to the sport and the California racing fans. The fact that they are getting the City of Light colt ready for the Pacific Classic is both admirable and raises concern at the same time. No doubt, the 2024 Travers Stakes winner has the wins to show his caliber, even though the recent Whitney Stakes on August 2 didn’t go his way.

But the bigger concern is that a very challenging field awaits the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion on August 30. Bob Baffert will be on his favorite racetrack with his best 4-year-old, Nysos. And then there is Journalism, the winner of a Triple Crown race this year. Add to that the G1 Haskell Stakes victory. Let’s just say Fierceness will have the field stacked against him, and then some.

Let’s see what final decision they come to for the California race. It’s quite an interesting time for Mike Repole, navigating the horse racing scene and taking up the challenge of revitalizing the United Football League.

The brand new venture that brings Mike Repole and Dwayne Johnson together

Mike Repole came on board the UFL towards the end of July, as the decision was made official by League President & CEO Russ Brandon, and Repole, himself. The BodyArmor founder is in charge of the league’s business operations, which he will run with assistance from his private equity firm, Impact Capital. So, what exactly is the United Football League?

Well, it came into being when the XFL, a (professional football minor league that dissolved in 2023) and the USFL (another short lived football league) were merged together in March 2024 to form a unified spring football league. And Dwayne Johnson himself played a pivotal role in making the merger happen. However, he is not the only key stakeholder. Redbird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia, and now Mike Repole are the co-owners in this venture, and Repole’s job is to take the league through its next phase of growth.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been the League’s promoter and drove the publicity for the football league after its launch last year. He has made some high-profile appearances, like in Texas, before the game between the Arlington Renegades and the Birmingham Stallions at Choctaw Stadium.

However, it’s been a rocky start to 2025, with 4 franchises relocating and two head coaches resigning just weeks into the league’s sophomore season. Now it’s a question of whether Mike Repole can do his thing, and make the UFL a sporting experience that both lasting and game-changing.