Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike Arrives at Belmont

GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) arrived in New York by van from Kentucky at 1 a.m. Wednesday to prepare for the GI Belmont S. June 11.

With exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes up, Rich Strike visited Belmont's dirt training track at 9:30 a.m. with the accompaniment of outrider Juan Galvez and his pony Stormy, making two laps the wrong way round.

“He settled down a lot the second time round. A lot of that was trying to get him used to the pony. You could see the farther he went the better he accepted the pony,” trainer Eric Reed said. “I think by the end of the week they'll be good buddies and on race day he needs a buddy. He'll sleep the rest of the day. I know he's tired, he just doesn't show it.”

Going forward Rich Strike will school in the paddock in the morning before training on the main track.

“He's so routine oriented. We're in a new place, so we can set his routine here and in two days, he'll be fine,” Reed said.

Reed said if Rich Strike continues to move forward their long-term target would be the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27 at Saratoga.

“The owners always wanted to run him in the Travers and I think it's a good spot for him,” Reed said. “If all the horses are freshened and ready that could be a heck of a field in the Travers with Epicenter, Zandon, Early Voting and whoever comes out of this race. It could be a great, great race.”

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Rich Strike Breezes Bullet Five Furlongs

RED-TR Racing's GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) dazzled fans Monday at Churchill Downs with a five-furlong move in :59 between Races 5-6 in his final major preparation toward the $1.5 million GI Belmont Stakes S. June 11.

With rider Gabe Lagunes in the saddle, Rich Strike clipped off eighth-mile fractions of :11.80, :23.20 and :34.80, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Robertson. The 80-1 upset winner of the Derby galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 and completed seven furlongs in 1:26.

Trainer Eric Reed watched the work from the backside so he could watch his prized colt gallop out and supervise him coming off the track.

“He got away real well and worked exactly like we wanted him to do,” Reed said. “The track was a little quicker since it was in the afternoon but it was exactly what we wanted to do. Yesterday he was starting to relax in the morning. After some time away from the races that's sort of what we've seen from him. There's no doubt about his confidence. We've seen him come off the track in mornings more playful. It's like he knows what he did in the Derby. I still don't think we've seen the best of him.”

Rich Strike is scheduled to leave early Tuesday morning to compete in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, the third jewel of racing's Triple Crown. Reed and owner Rick Dawson opted to skip the second leg, the $1.5 million GI Preakness S., to give Rich Strike more time between starts. The former $30,000 claimer has been based at Churchill Downs' Barn 17 for nearly two weeks.

“We're going on with the year with no regrets,” Reed said. “We did what was best for Ritchie and I'm confident we made the right decision.”

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Rich Strike Back To Work at Churchill

Roughly 12 hours before his peers were set to take to the Pimlico main track for the GI Preakness S., RED-TR Racing's GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) returned to the worktab, breezing a half-mile in a strong :47.20. With rider Gabe Lagunes in the irons, the chestnut broke off aggressively with an opening quarter-mile in :22.80 and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.60.

Immediately following his stunning 80-1 upset beneath the Twin Spires, connections fully intended on pressing on to the Preakness, but it was announced May 12 that the colt would bypass the second jewel of the Triple Crown and would be trained up to the GI Belmont S. June 11.

“Skipping the Preakness was still one of the toughest decisions I had to make as a trainer,” said trainer Eric Reed, who stood alongside owner Rick Dawson for the work. “I just don't think he would've been mentally ready to run against those horses again.”

Reed indicated that Rich Strike would head to New York as soon as next week, but has elected to keep the colt in Barn 17 on the Churchill backstretch until May 31. Tentative plans call for Rich Strike to breeze again Monday, May 30.

“He does so well here I just didn't want to change anything yet,” Reed said. “He'll get eight or nine days at Belmont to gallop and get used to the surface.”

 

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Another Sonny Day at Belterra Park

It was back to business as ususal for jockey Sonny Leon on Friday afternoon as he returned to Belterra Park six days after his ride of a lifetime aboard Rich Strike (Keen Ice) in an unforgettable edition of the GI Kentucky Derby.

Coming off his first-ever graded stakes win in the Run for the Roses, Leon ran second in race one, third in race two, and won going away in race three. Fittingly, the 3 3/4-length victory aboard Runway Rosie (Tonalist) in the $18,800 allowance contest was for trainer Eric Reed. Prior to the race in the paddock, he shared an enthusiastic high-five with Rich Strike's groom, Jerry Dixon Jr. After the winner's circle photo, he posed with a '2022 Kentucky Derby Winner' sign and the crowd applauded as they watched a congratulatory video on the main screen with well-wishes from Belterra's racing community.

Leon wrapped up Friday's card with two more second-place finishes and a win in the finale.

“We had a very good moment last week but right now we've got to go back to reality,” Leon said at the end of the day. “We had a couple wins today. We made a Sonny day.”

Throughout the afternoon and even half an hour after the races had finished, fans gathered around the paddock waving racing programs and Kentucky Derby Woodford Reserve bottles. Leon willingly obliged their requests for signatures and photos, taking in all the added fanfare in stride.

“That was fun,” he said. “This is my first time having a moment like this. I took pictures with a lot of people and gave a lot of signatures.”

A native of Venezuela, Leon moved to the U.S. in 2015. He first started out at Gulfstream Park before moving his tack to the Ohio and Kentucky circuits. With several jockey titles at Mahoning Valley already to his credit, he is currently ranked among the top five jockeys at this year's Belterra race meet.

Leon first rode Rich Strike last December at Fair Grounds, finishing fifth to Epicenter (Not This Time) in the Gun Runner S. Leon described Rich Strike as “a little green” in the race in New Orleans, but noted that the colt gained valuable experience and learned a lot since then.

Leon said he was not nervous as Kentucky Derby day dawned. He was just thrilled to be running in the Kentucky Derby.

“My dream came true when Eric Reed called me Friday morning and said, 'Man, we got in,'” Leon recalled. “That was my best moment when I heard from him. I got super excited. I spoke with my wife and she was excited. I didn't know he was going to win the Kentucky Derby, but I knew in that moment that I would ride in the Kentucky Derby. I wanted to just enjoy my moment and that's what I did.”

The ultra-impressive ride Leon gave Rich Strike that day has been analyzed all week, but for the jockey himself, he believes the keys to his success were about having patience and knowing his horse.

“I knew they went fast in the beginning,” he explained. “I wanted to go to the inside to save ground, which was perfect. We saved a couple lengths there. I stayed far away because that's the way this horse likes to run. When I got to the three-eighths, I found a lot of traffic but I didn't get desperate. That was a good move, to be patient. When turning for home, I had to wait until they opened up the rail. I didn't know where to go because I still had a few horses in front of me. The rail opened up and wow, that was amazing because my horse got clear and he answered beautifully.”

'Wow' is a term Leon uses a lot when talking about Rich Strike and their accomplishments together.

“We have a very good connection and that is what was so special for me,” he said. “What can I say? We did it.”

On Thursday, Rich Strike's connections announced that they would skip the GI Preakness S. and instead, point toward the GI Belmont S. It was a decision that Leon supports wholeheartedly.

“I think it was a very wise move,” he said. “The horse needed some time to get a good recovery and get some rest. The Belmont is going to be a perfect distance for him. It's a long distance and a deep track. I think he's going to be tough.”

Until then, Leon plans to soak up every opportunity that his outstanding Derby performance provides, be it in a Grade I at Belmont or a claiming race at Belterra.

“My next goal is to go to the Belmont and enjoy that moment. It's a big race. It's going to be a tough race, but I think my horse, Rich Strike, can do it. After that we'll see what happens, but I'm happy to go back home and go to Belterra Park to win a couple more races.”

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