Tag: Triple Crown

Kentucky Derby champion Rich Strike had his routine daily exercise over the Belmont Park main track on Friday, galloping 1 1/2 miles over the sloppy going in his latest preparation for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 11.

Rich Strike took two turns around the Belmont paddock before heading through the tunnel and onto the main track. Guided by regular rider Gabriel Lagunes, who described the outing as “perfect,” Rich Strike was allowed to gallop at a stronger pace than his exercise on Thursday, stretching his legs and opening up his stride down the lane while maintaining a consistent pace.

The chestnut son of Keen Ice pricked his ears down the stretch before Lagunes began to ease him up just past the finish line.

“He was a lot happier today because we let him step out a bit,” said trainer Eric Reed. “You could see coming down the stretch he was much happier and never even got warm. That's how you know his head is in the right place, and he loves his pony. We've got him a friend and that helps get him relaxed.

“I do want to get him on a dry track for two or three days and watch how he moves and comes back from the gallops just to see if there's any difference in how he handles the surface,” Reed added. “But I don't think that would be the case. He's ran well at Keeneland in a troubled trip and well on synthetic, which I'm sure is not his favorite track. So, I don't think the surface will be too big of a deal.”

Rich Strike has been accompanied to the track each morning by outrider Juan Galvez and his pony, Stormy. Prior to the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike had never had an issue with being ponied on and off the track. But after he stunned the “Run for the Roses” at odds of 80-1, Rich Strike displayed a newfound feistiness towards the pony who greeted him in the gallop out.

Reed said having a pony that Rich Strike gets along with has helped his preparations for the Belmont Stakes.

“The first thing I wanted to do after he got settled in was find somebody to go with him and see if he's going to try anything in a new place,” said Reed. “That's so much better for him [to have a pony].”

Rich Strike has had no issues with Big Sandy's sweeping turns thus far thanks to his large frame and wide stride, something Reed said may prove beneficial on race day.

“That's got to help him because he's a big, long-striding horse. There's not so much company out here,” said Reed. “At other tracks, there's horses all around him at all times and every time he sees a horse, he wants to go catch it. This is a lot better for him. He had a great day today.”

Reed said he was pleased with Churchill Downs and Belmont Park for their accommodations throughout Rich Strike's campaign.

“Keeping him healthy is all I'm worried about,” said Reed. “Churchill was so gracious and gave us the track to work on in between races. Belmont has just gone out of their way to do so much for us. When we got here, Frank Gabriel and Juan [Dominguez] were here at 1:00 in the morning and that says a lot. We're real happy that it's going smooth.”

Rich Strike has been calm and happy since arriving at Belmont early Wednesday morning and shows no signs of anxiousness in his new surroundings, something Reed said is “just him.”

“He's an 11:00 napper and is a very routine horse – he just takes care of himself,” said Reed. “Nothing seems to shake him up. The only thing I ever had shake him up was in New Orleans [Gun Runner] when things were just all out of whack [in his routine] going into that race. That's why it horrified me to think of running him back in two weeks in the Preakness. We had to do what's right for the horse. I think when we school him during the races a couple times next week, hopefully he'll be as relaxed as he always is. All we have to do now is worry if he'll get a good race and show us if he can do it.”

As expected with a Kentucky Derby winner, fans and media are frequent visitors at Reed's barn. Rich Strike enjoys having the spotlight on him, looking at cameras and always observing alertly with his ears forward and head up.

“He's a kind horse and he loves people,” Reed said. “They're not supposed to know, but I think he knows he's done something. He's enjoying it. Some horses get nervous about a lot of people. Not him.”

The post ‘I Think He Knows He’s Done Something’: Rich Strike Reveling In Attention At Belmont appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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RED TR-Racing's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike got his first look at the Belmont Park main track on Thursday, galloping 1 1/2 miles over the sloppy going with regular exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes in the irons. The son of Keen Ice arrived at Belmont early Wednesday morning for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 11.

“It seems like he's done everything a little bit better than I thought he would,” said trainer Eric Reed. “We actually took him out yesterday and we were going to give him one turn – the rider said he wanted to give him another, so he went twice on the [training] track and got used to the pony and made a friend there. Today, we took him to the main track. It was a little wet, so we just went one time around and we kind of made him go at our pace. He didn't care for that. His ears were back and he was wanting to go. So, tomorrow he'll get a chance to go out and train like normal.”

Rich Strike made his way through the paddock in tandem with outrider Juan Galvez and his pony, Stormy, who will accompany Rich Strike throughout his preparations leading up to the Belmont. The two quietly made a few laps around the walking path with other trainees behind them before heading through the tunnel and to the main track.

Lagunes trotted Rich Strike for a few strides over Big Sandy before asking him to extend to a light gallop for the 1 1/2-mile journey, keeping a tight hold of the energetic chestnut. Rich Strike kept an even tempo throughout, pinned his ears and wanted to do more down the lane, but stayed in hand to complete the exercise and exit the track through the chute on the first turn.

Lagunes noted that Rich Strike, who can be spirited in the mornings, has been noticeably more relaxed at Belmont.

“He's happy. I think he likes this track,” Lagunes said. “He was pretty fresh and was pulling a little, but he's more relaxed here than at Churchill Downs. There [at Churchill], there are a lot of horses and a lot of traffic and he gets a little stressed. But not here.”

Reed said Rich Strike appeared to be ready for more in his exercise.

“We never really try to make him go a certain pace except for today, and he didn't like that. He wants to go his [way],” said Reed. “It was his second day back and I wasn't sure if he's got some fatigue and just won't show it, so I didn't want to overdo it today. Tomorrow, we'll let him do his thing.”

With the track rated sloppy from overnight rain, Reed said he will know more about how Rich Strike handled the surface once he gallops over a fast going.

“He's done everything right. He's enjoying it,” Reed said. “It was a little wet today so I don't think we got a true feel of the track. Maybe tomorrow if it's dry then I'll get a chance to watch him and I think after a couple days I'll have a pretty good idea of how he's taking to the track.”

Rich Strike posted his final breeze in preparation for the Belmont on Monday at Churchill Downs where he breezed five furlongs in 59 seconds flat. He is not expected to breeze at Belmont, but will school in the paddock and gallop each day leading up to his run in the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion.”

Jeff Perrin, agent for Rich Strike's jockey Sonny Leon, said the rider will arrive in New York next Thursday evening with an eye towards participating on the Friday, June 9 card at Belmont.

“I'd like to get Sonny a couple of mounts Friday so he can get a feel for the track, so I've reached out to a couple trainers up there,” Perrin said. “He'll be watching many of the replays of previous Belmonts to see who did what and how it happened. And then he'll be studying every race over the next week at Belmont Park to get ready.”

Leon's only mount at a NYRA track came last year at Saratoga Race Course when he piloted Forewarned to a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Perrin said he's not too worried about Leon having a light schedule on Belmont Stakes Day as the rider had won just four races at Churchill Downs prior to the Kentucky Derby.

“Even on Derby day, the only race he rode was the Kentucky Derby,” Perrin said. “The dream was to draw in and run in the Kentucky Derby but the dream never went as far as to winning it, but the good Lord has different plans for us all.”

The post Rich Strike ‘More Relaxed’ Through Light Gallop At Belmont Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rich Strike, the 80-1 upset winner of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, arrived in New York at 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday to prepare for the 154th renewal of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 11, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Eric Reed for Rick Dawson's RED TR-Racing, Rich Strike shipped to New York by van from Kentucky and will be overseen by Reed for the duration of this stay as he readies for the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Rich Strike, with exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes up, 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,” 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,” Reed added.

Reed said Rich Strike will settle into a comfortable routine at Belmont going forward, schooling 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.

Rich Strike breezed five-eighths solo in :59 seconds flat Monday afternoon on the main track in front of the Churchill Downs crowd, working swiftly under Lagunes and galloping out strong.

Reed said Rich Strike won't need to breeze again ahead of the Belmont Stakes.

“We might let him run down the lane Thursday or Friday,” Reed said. “He gallops faster than a lot of horses breeze. He really rolls around there. That will be up to Gabriel on Thursday or Friday, depending how he's doing. I just want him to get his footing on that track and watch how he moves and see how he handles it.”

Rich Strike, who made the “Run for the Roses” field following the late scratch of Ethereal Road, exited the outermost post 20 under Sonny Leon in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby and trailed 17 lengths behind the pacesetting Summer Is Tomorrow.

Leon maneuvered Rich Strike closer to contention approaching the final turn and took an inside route in upper stretch before angling outside Messier and taking aim to the inside of the leading pair of Epicenter and Zandon. Rich Strike, full of run, edged clear in the final strides to post a three-quarter length score over Epicenter.

Rich Strike, bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, is by Keen Ice, who finished third in the 2015 Belmont Stakes and subsequently bested Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Grade 1 Travers that summer at Saratoga Race Course. The Kentucky Derby winner is out of the graded stakes winning Smart Strike mare Gold Strike – a Manitoba-bred, who won the 2005 Woodbine Oaks en route to Sovereign Award honors as Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in Canada.

Rich Strike was claimed for $30,000 from Calumet Farm and trainer Joe Sharp out of a 17 1/4-length maiden score in September at Churchill Downs and followed with a third-place finish in an optional-claimer in October at Keeneland ahead of a distant fifth in his stakes debut in the Gun Runner in December at Fair Grounds.

The chestnut colt made his next four starts in stakes company with his best results coming over synthetic with third-place finishes at Turfway Park in the one-mile Leonatus in January and the nine-furlong Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks in April in his final outing before the Derby.

Reed said the connections decided to skip the Grade 1 Preakness, won by Early Voting on May 21 at Pimlico Race Course, to give Rich Strike more time between starts.

“We didn't plan on the Preakness because we didn't plan on winning the Derby,” Reed said. “We just wanted to show at the Derby that we could compete at the Belmont and then he wins the Derby, so then we had to think about it. But I go back to the race at New Orleans [Gun Runner] and I know what happened there when he was out of routine and I knew the Preakness would be a disaster.

“All his races have to be planned out with distance and the type of track because there's some tracks where it's real difficult to close at a mile and a quarter, even,” Reed added. “Everything we do has to be thought out real good. His running style makes it hard to win any race and everyone expects him to win them all now.”

The connections' decision to skip the Preakness with the Kentucky Derby winner marked the first occasion since 1985 when Spend a Buck collected a $2 million bonus for traveling to Garden State to capture the Grade 3 Jersey Derby.

Other Derby winners to skip the Preakness include Count Turf, who finished seventh in the 1951 Belmont Stakes won by Counterpoint; and Gato Del Sol, who captured the 1982 Derby and waited for the Belmont Stakes, finishing second to Conquistador Cielo.

Grindstone [1996] and Country House [2019] never raced again following their Derby victories due to injury.

More recently, Authentic, the 2020 Derby winner, finished second in the Preakness and did not contest the Belmont. Last year, Medina Spirit crossed the wire as the Kentucky Derby winner and finished third in the Preakness. But Medina Spirit was subsequently disqualified from the Derby victory with Derby runner-up Mandaloun, who did not contest the Preakness or Belmont, placed first.

Reed said if Rich Strike continues to move forward their long-term target would be the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course.

“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.”

The Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets is the focal point of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 9 through Saturday, June 11, encompassing 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day.

Belmont Stakes Day will include three Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers: the one-mile Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap for 3-year-olds and up [Dirt Mile]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps for older fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track [Distaff]; and the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf [Turf Sprint].

The blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day card will also feature the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/4 miles on turf; the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies going one mile; the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile on the turf; the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in a seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds; and the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational, a 1 1/2-mile test for 4-year-olds and up.

Tickets for the 2022 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are available at https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets.

The post Rich Strike Trains At Belmont: ‘The Farther He Went The Better He Accepted The Pony’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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