Trainer Eric Reed has laid out a plan for his upset Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike to run five times in 2023, according to the New York Times. The soon-to-be 4-year-old son of Keen Ice most recently finished sixth in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25, and has since been taking a well-deserved break at Reed's Mercury Equine Center in Lexington.
“He is twice the horse that he was in May physically and mentally,” Reed told the Times. “He's grown up.”
Reed plans to bring Rich Strike back into work in January, preparing him for a start in the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 25. Regular rider Sonny Leon will retain the mount, Reed said.
If all goes to plan, Rich Strike will have three starts between Kentucky and New York before concluding his year with the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 4. The colt finished fourth in the Classic at Keeneland in 2022.
Read more at the New York Times.
The post ‘Twice The Horse That He Was In May’: Rich Strike Targets Five Races In 2023, Beginning With Dubai World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
