Mindframe was having a perfect 4-year-old campaign for trainer Todd Pletcher until the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga.

The Maryland-bred son of Constitution out of Walk of Stars had won two Grade 1 races and earned a spot in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another strong effort in the late-August race would have set him up nicely for the Classic, the richest race in North America, scheduled Saturday at Del Mar outside San Diego.

Instead, Mindframe got the worst in a collision as the field broke from the starting gate. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche tried to position Phileas Fogg in front of early pacesetter Contrary Thinking, causing Contrary Thinking to veer into White Abarrio, who in turn bumped into Mindframe.

In a scary scene, the chain reaction caused Mindframe’s jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., to fall off his saddle and briefly settle on the backside of White Abarrio before tumbling to the ground. Ortiz avoided serious injury, and the race went down as a Did Not Finish for Mindframe.

The incident has inspired Mike Repole — the billionaire beverage magnate who is one of the sport’s most successful owners and one of its biggest advocates for change — to criticize the strategy of using a “rabbit” in a race.

A rabbit is a horse that a trainer will send out to run fast early fractions and tire other front-runners, setting up a better chance for a horse with late closing speed.

The tactic is not new, but that hasn’t stopped Repole from jokingly referring to Contrary Thinking as an “emotional support rabbit” for Sierra Leone, the winner of last year’s Classic. (Sierra Leone finished second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, while Contrary Thinking was last among the runners who completed the race.)

Mindframe, Sierra Leone and Contrary Thinking will be in the starting gate for the Classic, which boasts a nine-horse field that is among the strongest the race has offered in years. And, with Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty scratching with a fever, Repole has the favorite in Fierceness, another stellar 4-year-old.

The Classic will be the last race for Mindframe and Fierceness. In 2026, Mindframe will stand stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky.

Ahead of the race, The Banner connected with Repole over email to talk about Mindframe’s development, why it wasn’t so “dumb” to bring the horse back as a 4-year-old and why he’s confident the Maryland-bred can win.

The Banner: Take me back to the emotions you felt in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. You posted a video in the immediate aftermath about jockey Irad Ortiz’s condition. As the race was getting underway and the collision happened, how concerned were you for the horse in that moment?

Mike Repole: When that gate opened, I wasn’t thinking about anything except seeing my horse run. But the second that collision happened and I saw Irad go down, everything stopped. I’ve been in this sport long enough to know how fast things can go wrong. My heart sank not as an owner, but as a human being who loves these horses and the people who risk everything to ride them. In that moment, I didn’t care about winning or losing. I just wanted to know Irad was okay and that Mindframe came out safe.

The Banner: Some prognosticators are discounting Mindframe’s chances Saturday because his last completed race was the Stephen Foster in June. How much did that factor into your approach to the Classic? Did you consider running him before the Breeders’ Cup?

Mike Repole: Yeah, I’ve heard the noise about him being off since the Stephen Foster. But we’ve had a plan from day one with this horse. He’s not the kind you just run for the sake of running. We gave him time because we wanted him peaking for this race, not one in July. Could we have run him before the Breeders’ Cup? Sure. But Todd and I agreed if we could get him 100% right physically and mentally, he’d give us his best when it mattered most.

The Banner: What has he shown you in training since the Gold Cup that gives you confidence?

Mike Repole: He’s been a monster in the mornings. Every gallop, every breeze, he’s gotten sharper. You can just feel that power under him. He’s matured. He’s confident. When you watch him train right now, you know he’s sitting on a huge effort. You can’t fake that energy; he’s ready.

The Banner: You brought Mindframe along deliberately. He didn’t race as a 2-year-old, and you bided your time with him as a 3-year-old. After runner-up finishes in the Belmont and Haskell, he didn’t race again last year. What did you see in his development during that time away from competition?

Mike Repole: Mindframe was always a big, raw talent like a young athlete who just needed to grow into his frame. We didn’t rush him. We let him develop, get stronger, and mentally catch up to his ability. Over that time, he learned how to relax, how to channel that energy. That’s what turned him from a fast horse into a serious racehorse.

The Banner: How was that work reflected in his 4-year-old campaign, which was spotless before the Gold Cup with three wins including two Grade 1 victories?

Mike Repole: That patience paid off. Every time he stepped on the track this year, he looked like a pro. Three wins, two G1’s that doesn’t happen by accident. He was dominant, composed, and he kept improving. The Gold Cup wasn’t the story of his season; it was just a moment in a long journey. This horse has shown who he really is all year.

The Banner: Explain it for people who don’t spend a lot of time around horses. When do you know everything is starting to click for a racehorse? What do you see? And when did you see that from Mindframe?

Mike Repole: It’s like watching a kid figure out what they were born to do. Suddenly everything slows down for them. Their eyes are calmer, their body language changes, they start carrying themselves like, “I know what I’m here for.” With Mindframe, that moment came earlier this year. You could just see it, the confidence, the control. He knew he was a big-time horse.

The Banner: You have previously said it was “probably a dumb decision” to bring back Fierceness and Mindframe as 4-year-olds, given their prospects as stallions. For those unfamiliar with the economics of the breeding side of the industry, what makes it dumb?

Mike Repole: Look, when I said that, it was half-joking and half-truth. From a business standpoint, it was dumb — these horses are worth tens of millions as stallions. But this sport isn’t just business for me. It’s passion. I love seeing greatness on the track. I love competing. So yeah, maybe it’s “dumb” financially, but it’s the kind of dumb I can live with.

The Banner: As you sit here before what will be their final race, do you regret that decision? Why or why not?

Mike Repole: Not for a second. Watching Fierceness and Mindframe this week, knowing they’re both healthy and happy and ready to go one more time, I’d make the same call again. You don’t build legacy by playing it safe. You build it by letting great athletes finish their story on their own terms.

The Banner: What has to happen for Mindframe to be the one in the winner’s circle Saturday?

Mike Repole: He just needs to be himself. If he breaks clean, settles, and runs his race, he’s got the talent to beat anyone in the world. We respect this field, it’s loaded, but I believe in my horse. If he runs to his ability, he’ll be the one standing in that winner’s circle.

Post time for the Breeders’ Cup Classic is 6:25 p.m. ET. The race will air on NBC.