Long-shot Rich Strike stormed to victory at the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race.
The chestnut colt, who went off at 80-1 odds, pulled into the lead down the stretch to edge favorite Epicenter, who was second, and Zandon, who was third.
Rich Strike only entered into the 20-horse race when Ethereal Road was scratched on Friday morning.
The unlikely victory was the first Kentucky Derby win for trainer and Kentucky native Eric Reed.
"I fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire," Reed said.
"I passed out. I'm so happy. This is the reason everybody does this. We're not supposed to be here but I knew this horse loved this track and he has been training so good all year."
Reed had considered walking away from the sport after he lost 23 horses in a barn fire in 2016. Thirteen horses were saved.
(Rory Carroll. “Horse racing-Rich Strike pulls off huge upset at the Kentucky Derby.” Reuters Yahoo Sports. May 7, 2022.)
If you didn't watch the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, you missed one of the most amazing feats in horse racing history. The story of Rich Strike – including his owner, his trainer, his jockey, and his entry into the race is stuff of legendary intervention. No way could this have happened … but it did.
The Technicolor, pageantry, and narrative of this year's race was breathtaking to say the least. Indeed, “Rich Strike,” the aptly named thoroughbred and star of the day, will forever live as a symbol of a true underdog conquering tremendous odds to achieve victory.
Rich Strike came off a blistering pace at odds of more than 80-1 to beat 19 blue-blooded opponents and produce one of the biggest upsets in history while capturing the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The thoroughbred chestnut colt was foaled on April 25, 2019. The breeder was Calumet Farm. He was not sold at any public auctions. Rich Strike, a son of Keen Ice, was claimed by Reed for $30,000 after winning a maiden race at Churchill going a mile in September by 17 1/4 lengths.
Rich Strike had raced just seven times before the Derby, winning once and finishing third three times. He finished third in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the synthetic track at Turfway Park on April 2. Rich Strike and has been training forwardly at Churchill. The truth is the horse hadn’t shown anything in his six-race career that suggested he belonged on the same racetrack with the best 3-year-olds in the sport.
The horse, that was only entered into the field on Friday (Yes, the day before the Derby!) when Ethereal Road was scratched, is trained by Eric Reed, and owned by RED TR-Racing. Rick Dawson, owner of Rich Strike, found out his horse would be running in the Derby about 30 seconds before the Friday morning entry deadline. Dawson had already made plans to begin training this weekend in New York for the Belmont Stakes. It's safe to say those plans have changed.
Sonny Leon, a journeyman jockey based in Ohio, who had never won a graded stakes before Saturday, rode Rich Strike and won his first Kentucky Derby in his first ever attempt. He did it by rallying from almost dead-last around the first turn as the horses up front set a scorching, suicidal pace that eventually melted down.
The Race
The winner found his way through the field after starting in the 21st and far outside post position and under the fastest opening quarter mile in race history.
Rich Strike was in 17th position into the final turn, and began accelerating through the pack, moving to the inside as the race entered the front stretch. The horse was still far back under a very fast pace as the horses turned for home down the long Churchill Downs stretch but went to the rail to save ground. Leon moved out to get past a fading Messier and then returned to the rail to run down Epicenter and Zandon, the two favorites who were eye to eye with the finish line in sight but could not hold off the winner.
But in the final few paces, Rich Strike cut to the inside to win the race. Rich Strike is one of the longest-odds horses ever to win the race. Epicenter placed second by a length, and Zandon finished third by another half-length. The horses raced out to the fastest quarter mile in the race's 148-year history, and that quick start may have contributed to the last-second fade of the leaders.
As Zandon and Epicenter battled for the lead, Rich Strike streaked along the rail to claim victory. The winner is the second longest shot to win the Derby after Donerail took the post at 91-1 odds to win the Run for the Roses in 1913.
Whether unaccustomed to victory or charged up from the atmosphere, Rich Strike began nipping at the escort pony after the race, adding even more chaos to a scene already rampant with madness. But, what a wonderful scene it was. The horse continued his biting antics for quite a long time as the stunned crowd watched in glee. What a character the Derby-winner proved to be … one who plucky spirit, speed, and determination lead to the laurel of the roses.
(“80-1 longshot Rich Strike stuns in winning 148th Kentucky Derby.” Field Level Media. May 08, 2022.)
History Note:
Eric Reed, the trainer with the blue jeans and garish red jacket was so stunned, he fell to the ground in the paddock at Churchill Downs. The groom ran onto the track, barely able to breathe. The owner was dabbing at a cut on the left side of his face, afraid that it had burst open in the excitement.
“I was praying for ninth,” said Shelby Reed, the daughter of trainer Eric Reed, who has been around horse racing long enough to know the difference between crazy dreams and what actually happens on race day.
“Small trainer, small rider, small stable — this horse should have been 80-to-1 on paper,” Reed said. “But we're around him every day. I’ve been around a long time and had some really nice horses and we knew what we had. I’m not telling you by any means we knew we had a Derby winner, but if we didn’t think we’d be in the Derby we wouldn’t have been prepping him for it all year. Lightning can strike.”
(Dan Wolken. “Rich Strike's stunning Kentucky Derby win is the ultimate palate cleanser for a troubled sport | Opinion.” USA TODAY. May 07, 2022.)
Watch the Race
The Bet
How much did Rich Strike win his bettors? The short answer – a lot. A $2 exacta with second-place finisher Epicenter paid $4,101.20. A $1 trifecta paid $14,870.70, and the $1 superfecta paid a cool $321,500.10.
Rich Strike's payout (Based on a $2 bet):
Win: $163.60
Place: $74.20
Show: $29.40
Trainer Eric Reed (L), Jockey Sonny Leon (C), and Owner Rick Dawson (R) celebrate with the trophy after Rich Strike won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
The Fairy Tale Come True
Eric Reed, the son of longtime horseman Herbert Reed, is not the kind of trainer that’s supposed to win the Kentucky Derby. He’s been around a long time, winning over 1,400 races, but never at the highest level. Until Rich Strike, who earned $1.86 million for winning the Derby, his highest career earner was a mare named Satans Quick Chick who made $401,896 for him over a decade ago.
For him, racing wasn't the glamorous world the Bafferts and Steve Asmussens and Chad Browns operate in, but it was a solid career – solid enough for Reed to open his own farm and training facility, the Mercury Equine Center, in Lexington.
“We don’t go out and buy the big horses, we just try to have a good quality stable,” he said. “Our percentages are good, we take care of the horse first. The rest falls into place. I never dreamed I’d be here, never thought I’d have a Derby horse. Never went to the yearling sale and tried to buy a Derby horse. I just want to buy my clients a horse that will keep them happy, have some fun, maybe make a little money. This was never in my plans.”
Dan Wolken of USA TODAY reports …
“But in December 2016, disaster struck when 23 horses died in an overnight fire. The damage actually could have been worse, as some horses were able to be saved and the fire didn’t spread to other barns.
“It was a devastating event for Reed, who thought that perhaps it was a message that he needed to get out of the business. But the horse racing community immediately rallied around him. People he hadn’t seen or talked to for years pitched in to help. Fellow trainers called and offered to help get him some new horses and clients to keep the business going.
“Some big, big trainers — guys you guys know well — told me, 'Don't let this take you out,’” Reed said.
(Dan Wolken. “Rich Strike's stunning Kentucky Derby win is the ultimate palate cleanser for a troubled sport | Opinion.” USA TODAY. May 07, 2022.)
And, of course, the tragedy didn't “take Reed out. Somehow, despite all the bad luck, the slim odds, and the “small operation,” Rich Strike and Sonny Leon ran the perfect race and completed the rags-to-riches story for the ages. The beauty and the drama left an indelible Disneyland impression on the sport of kings. What a day! What a day!
Dan Fogelberg's hit song (1981) was made for Rich Strike. "The chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance" -- long may he run. May the thrill never fade.
Run For the Roses
Dan Fogelberg
And raised in the trees
Of western Kentucky
On wobbly knees
With mama beside you
To help you along
You'll soon be growing up strong
All the long, lazy mornings
In pastures of green
The sun on your withers
The wind in your mane
Could never prepare you
For what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red
And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
You fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
It's high time you joined
In the dance
From sire to sire
It's born in the blood
The fire of a mare
And the strength of a stud
It's breeding and it's training
And it's something unknown
That drives you
And carries you home
And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
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