Rich Strike

Last updated

Rich Strike
Sire Keen Ice
Grandsire Curlin
Dam Gold Strike
Damsire Smart Strike
Sex Colt
Foaled (2019-04-25) April 25, 2019 (age 3)
CountryUnited States
Color Chestnut
Breeder Calumet Farm
Owner Calumet Farm (until September 2021)
RED TR-Racing (Richard Dawson) (from September 2021)
Trainer Joe Sharp (until September 2021)
Eric Reed (from September 2021)
Record8: 2-0-3
Earnings$1,932,500 [1]
Major wins
American Triple Crown wins:
Kentucky Derby (2022)
Last updated on May 7, 2022

Rich Strike (foaled April 25, 2019) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2022 Kentucky Derby, racing at 80–1 odds. [2] [3]

Contents

Rich Strike is the second-biggest longshot to have won the Kentucky Derby after Donerail (91–1 odds) in 1913. [4] He was not in the field until Ethereal Road was scratched the day before, with Rich Strike being added from the also-eligible list for the Derby. [5] [6] Owner Richard Dawson found out about the change just 30 seconds before the deadline. [7]

Background

Rich Strike is a chestnut colt with a white blaze and two white socks on his hind legs. He was bred at Calumet Farm in Kentucky and was foaled on April 25, 2019. [8] His dam, Gold Strike by Smart Strike, was the Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2005; he was sired by Keen Ice, best known for defeating American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes. Rich Strike became Keen Ice's first Grade I winner and Calumet Farm's record tenth Kentucky Derby winner. [9] [10]

In September 2021, horse trainer Eric Reed, on behalf of Richard Dawson's RED-TR Racing, bought Rich Strike for $30,000 at a claiming race at Churchill Downs. [6]

Jockey Sonny Leon rode Rich Strike to his victory in the Derby. [10]

Racing career

2021: two-year-old season

Originally trained by Joe Sharp, Rich Strike made his first start on August 15, 2021, in a maiden special weight race at one mile over the turf at Ellis Park. He broke slowly and was never a factor, finishing last. [11]

For his next start, Rich Strike was dropped into a maiden claiming race at Churchill Downs. He broke slowly and raced near the back of the pack down the backstretch, then made a strong move on the turn to take the lead. He drew off down the stretch to win by 17+1⁄4 lengths. He was claimed for $30,000 by Eric Reed. [12]

On October 9, Rich Strike was entered in an allowance optional claiming race at Keeneland. He bobbled at the start and had to be steadied entering the first turn after being bumped. He was well back for most of the race but started to close ground in the final furlong to finish third, beaten by 3+1⁄2 lengths. [13]

Rich Strike made his final start of the year on December 26 in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. He trailed the field through the first three-quarters of a mile before making a mild rally to finish fifth behind Epicenter. [14]

2022: three-year-old season

Rich Strike made his three-year-old debut on January 22, 2022, in the Leonatus Stakes over the all weather surface at Turfway Park in Kentucky. As had become his pattern, he was well back in the early running then made a late run to finish third. [15] Reed later commented that Rich Strike had lost several days of training because of weather. "In the paddock he was a monster and he's never like that," Reed said. "He didn't run terrible but he just wasn't himself." [6]

He turned in a similar performance on March 5 in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, also at Turfway Park, this time finishing fourth. [16]

For his third start of the year, Rich Strike was entered in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway on April 2. He was near the back of the field for most of the race but found an inside path in the stretch and closed well to finish third behind Tiz the Bomb. [17]

Kentucky Derby

The third-place finish in the Jeff Ruby gave Rich Strike 20 points on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby, which was originally short of the amount required to qualify for the race. At 8:45 a.m. on Friday morning, Reed was informed there were no scratches. [18] However, the last-minute scratch of another horse, Ethereal Road, allowed him to draw into the Derby, and minutes later, Reed took another phone call from chief steward Barbara Borden, asking him if he wanted to run Rich Strike in the Derby. [19] [18] Reed joked that the last-minute notification left him needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as he had just been about to enter Rich Strike in another race, the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. "He's never been better; he loves this track," said Reed. "All week long, I was like, 'He just gets better every day.' He's so happy right now. It's just a blessing to be able to run." [6]

The field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, held on May 7, 2022, was considered one of the deepest in recent memory as there were multiple highly regarded horses but no clear standout. The top horses included Epicenter (Louisiana Derby, Risen Star), Zandon (Blue Grass Stakes), and Taiba (Santa Anita Derby). [20] [21] [22] Rich Strike was overlooked at odds of 80-1. He broke well from the outside post position and settled into the back of the pack where he was in eighteenth place after the first half-mile, 17 lengths behind the leaders. During this time Summer is Tomorrow and Crown Pride battled up front starting the race off with an extremely fast pace. He started his move on the final turn while weaving through traffic, first shifting out four horses wide of the rail then back towards the rail. In the stretch, he was checked briefly by a tiring horse but again found racing room and launched a sustained drive to the inside of Epicenter. He drew clear in the final strides to win by three-quarters of a length. [23] A shocked Reed collapsed in the paddock. [18]

It was the first graded stakes win for jockey Sonny Leon, who was commended by Reed for an excellent ride. "You know we had a difficult post but I know the horse," said Leon. "I didn't know if he could win but I had a good feeling with him. I had to wait until the stretch and that's what I did. I waited and then the rail opened up. I wasn't nervous, I was excited. Nobody knows my horse like I know my horse." [24]

After the Derby, on May 12, owner Dawson announced the horse would not run the Preakness Stakes on May 21, noting that while running the race was "very tempting", the team would stick with its original plan of passing on the Preakness after racing the Derby and entering the Belmont Stakes, thus giving up the chance to become the first Triple Crown winner since Justify in 2018. [25]

Statistics

Rich Strike race statistics
DateDistanceRaceGradeTrackSurfaceOddsFieldFinishWinning TimeWinning
(Losing)
Margin		JockeyRef
Aug 15, 2021Maiden Special Weight Ellis Park Turf4.7010101:39.52 Ricardo Santana Jr. [11]
Sep 17, 2021Maiden Claiming Churchill Downs Dirt10.301111:36.84Adam Beschizza [12]
Oct 9, 2021Allowance optional claimingKeenelandDirt3.70731:38.52 Julien Leparoux [13]
Dec 26, 2021Gun Runner Stakes Fair Grounds Dirt46.20751:44.19 Ricardo Santana Jr. [14]
Jan 22, 2022Leonatus StakesTurfway ParkAll weather8.401031:39.70Sonny Leon [15]
Mar 5, 2022 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes Turfway ParkAll weather8.401031:39.70Sonny Leon [16]
Apr 2, 2022 Jeff Ruby Steaks Turfway ParkAll weather26.201231:48.60Sonny Leon [17]
May 7, 2022 Kentucky Derby Churchill DownsDirt80.802012:02.61 Sonny Leon [23]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Rich Strike, chestnut colt, foaled April 25, 2019 [26]
Sire
Keen Ice (USA)
2015		 Curlin (USA)
2004		Smart Strike*Mr. Prospector*
Classy 'n Smart*
Sherriff's Deputy Deputy Minister*
Barbarika
Medomak (USA)
2007		 Awesome Again Deputy Minister*
Primal Force
Wiscasset Kris S.
Tara Roma
Dam
Gold Strike (CAN)
2002		 Smart Strike* (CAN)
1992		 Mr. Prospector* Raise a Native
Gold Digger
Classy 'n Smart* Smarten
No Class
Brassy Gold (CAN)
1996		Dixieland Brass Dixieland Band
Windmill Gal
Panning For GoldSearch For Gold
Apple Pan Dowdy

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References

  1. ↑ "Profile of Rich Strike". Equibase. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  2. ↑ Dotson, Kevin (May 7, 2022). "Rich Strike finishes first at the 148th Kentucky Derby". CNN. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Hoppert, Melissa (May 7, 2022). "Kentucky Derby Live Updates: Rich Strike, 80-1 Long Shot, Wins in a Stunning Upset". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  4. ↑ Frakes, Jason (May 7, 2022). "'Unbelievable upset': Rich Strike wins the 2022 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs". The Courier-Journal . Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  5. ↑ Wolken, Dan. "Long shot Rich Strike stuns all in winning 148th Kentucky Derby". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Crosby, Claire; King, Byron (May 6, 2022). "Reed Savors Experience as Rich Strike Makes Derby Field". BloodHorse. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Long shot Rich Strike wins 148th Kentucky Derby". ESPN. May 7, 2022. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Ethereal Road Out, Rich Strike In". Thoroughbred Daily News. May 6, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Calumet extends record as leading KY Derby breeder". BloodHorse.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Moore, Josh (May 7, 2022). "Who is Rich Strike? What to know about the champion of this year's Kentucky Derby". Lexington Herald-Leader . Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Chart for August 15, 2021 at Ellis Park". Equibase. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Chart for September 17, 2021 at Churchill Downs". BloodHorse.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Chart for October 9, 2021 at Keeneland". Equibase. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Chart for the Gun Runner Stakes". Equibase. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Chart for the Leonatus Stakes". Equibase. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Chart for the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes". Equibase. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Chart for the Jeff Ruby Steaks". Equibase. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 O'Neil, Dana (May 7, 2022). "'What planet are we on?' A horse like Rich Strike isn't supposed to win the Kentucky Derby" . The Athletic . Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  19. ↑ Culpepper, Chuck; Hill, Glynn A. (May 7, 2022). "Rich Strike, an 80-1 shot, wins the Kentucky Derby in a stunner". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  20. ↑ Roberts, Ben. "Ranking the top 10 horses for the 2022 Kentucky Derby". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  21. ↑ King, Byron. "Derby Dozen". www.bloodhorse.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Keeler Johnson's Kentucky Derby 148 Selections". cs.bloodhorse.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Chart for the Kentucky Derby". Equibase. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  24. ↑ Sherack, Steve (May 7, 2022). "80-1 Longshot Strikes It Rich in Derby". Thoroughbred Daily News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Rich Strike to Bypass Preakness, Point for Belmont". BloodHorse. May 12, 2022. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Rich Strike". EquineLine. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
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