Rick Dawson, owner of 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, announced on Facebook this week that the colt would not make his anticipated 4-year-old debut at Turfway Park this Saturday due to “a very non-serious issue.”
Trainer Eric Reed later told bloodhorse.com that the issue was a nicked quarter, a raw spot typically located just above the top of the horse's hoof which can be caused by a hind hoof stepping on a front hoof.
“He has a spot about the size of your fingernail that's a little raw that will take three or four days to toughen back up,” Reed explained. “So we are going to back off and make sure he is 100%. He was out on the track this morning and was fine.”
Now, Rich Strike will target a 2023 debut on April 22, in either the G3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland or the G2 Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas.
Rich Strike, the son of Keen Ice, has not raced since finishing sixth in the G1 Clark at Churchill on Nov. 25. The colt has not won a race since his 81-1 upset in the Run for the Roses, but did finish a hard-fought second in the G2 Lukas Classic (behind Hot Rod Charlie) and fourth behind Horse of the Year Flightline in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Overall, Rich Strike's record stands at 2-1-3 from 13 starts for earnings of $2,508,989.
Read more at bloodhorse.com.
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