Owner Mike Repole said Jan. 19 he is in the process of filing a lawsuit against numerous industry entities.
In a post on the social media platform X, Repole wrote he is "convinced there is only one path left to force real change and save this industry outside of Kentucky and a few surviving states." He wrote that a national lawsuit, similar to the one recently settled between Michael Jordan and NASCAR, which he believes will "bring forward facts that have long remained hidden and are critical to the future of the sport."
"It's about saving the tracks, the people, the small owners and breeders, the fans, and most importantly, protecting the Thoroughbred. ... My goal and mission is to make the changes needed so this sport not only survives, but thrives for the next 100 years," he wrote.
Speaking with Thoroughbred Daily News, Repole mentioned several industry organizations he intends to take legal action against.
"The Jockey Club and their entities, the Breeders' Cup, the NTRA, TOBA, and all their stewards, have been notified legally what my intentions are," he told TDN. "They've been notified. They've been notified to prepare. They've been notified to prepare for litigation. They've been notified to save all documents, emails, texts, everything. They, in turn, have notified me to do the same."
BloodHorse is owned by The Jockey Club and TOBA.
The Jockey Club had no comment on the matter.
In a statement, the Breeders' Cup said it "cannot comment on threatened or pending litigation."
Repole has been a vocal critic of the industry, accusing many of those he plans to litigate for acting in their own self-interest rather than what he believes is in the best interest of the sport.
He told TDN he did not know when he would file his lawsuit, but that he had been working on it since June 2025.
"There's a lawsuit, and it gets very, very nasty," he told TDN. "There's tremendous discovery that comes on both sides, and then there's some mediation. Then there's some alliance, and then there's some compromise. Even if the lawsuit doesn't go through the entire court system, all of a sudden it forces people to get to a table and engage and say, 'Either you're going to go through the court system, or you're going to sit down and make a decision.'"
