A year ago, Rich Strike was purchased for 30 thousand dollars. On Saturday evening, May 7, in Churchill Downs, Kentucky, he won 1.8 million dollars in the 148 Kentucky Derby.
After a late scratch of Ethereal Road, Rich Strike was slotted into the 21 position and given 80-1 odds to win the race. The next longest shot: 30-1, given to a few horses in the field.
“We always felt if we just got in we’ve got a shot,” said owner Richard Dawson. The victory for Rich Strike was the second biggest upset in Derby history behind Donerail in 1913, according to CBS News.
Coming into the last turn and down the stretch, Rich Strike sat in 16 place. Jockey Sonny Leon steered Rich Strike through the field of horses all the way to the front at the last second, and won by three-fourths of a length.
“When I was in the last 70 yards, I said, ‘I think I got this race,’” said Leon.
Coming into the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike had just one career win. In previous races, Rich Strike lost to Zandon and Epicenter, the last two horses he passed, eventually finishing second and third. Rich Strike fought back, though, and so did his trainer, Eric Reed.
“I’m glad I chose to fight back one more time,” Reed said.
In an interview with CBS, Reed talked about losing two dozen horses in a barn fire five years ago, and almost walking away from training as a result.
“It was about as low a point in my life that you could get at the time,” said Reed.
After the race, Rich Strike had a bit of an interesting encounter. Whether it was the adrenaline of the comeback, or the franticness from the insanity of the crowd, Rich Strike started biting the outrider, and his horse, resulting in a forceful corral of the horse.
An uproar broke out on social media over the actions of the outrider, people claiming the horse was being “abused” and calling the actions “disgusting” and “uncalled for.” Reed made sure to address the actions of the outrider were justified, and actually saved the horse from injury.
“The horse is not a mean horse, he just was in race mode, and he didn’t understand why they were grabbing him to slow him down,” said Reed. “That man saved my horse from injury, because had he got up in the air and lost my rider, he could have gotten loose.”
After all the madness of the race, Rich Strike was guided back to his stable by his groom Jerry Dixon Jr., a fourth-generation horse groom. Dixon and the horse were shown having a close connection as Dixon washed and hugged his horse, making sure to give him the love he deserved.
In the coming weeks, Rich Strike will now continue the journey toward the elusive and coveted triple crown. The next race is the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland on May 21. It all ends on June 11, right here on Long Island with the Belmont Stakes.
There has been no Triple Crown winner in four years since Justify took it home in 2018. Prior to that, American Pharoah broke a 37-year Triple Crown drought taking home the distinction in 2015. In all, 13 horses have claimed the triple crown.
Rich Strike would be the most shocking to do so after pulling off the Kentucky Derby win; but, as they always say, you never look a gift horse in the mouth.
