148th Consecutive Kentucky Derby

 By Randy Brungard

Unbelievable!!! Rich Strike, who was not even in the original 20 horse Kentucky Derby field, shocked the racing World at odds of 80-1.  He drew into the field off the Also Eligible (AE) list at just before 9 a.m. on Friday when Ethereal Road was a last minute scratch.  Claimed for just $30,000 last fall in a maiden claiming race (a maiden is for horses that have not yet won, and claiming means that the horses in the claiming race can be bought at that time for the price of the claiming race), Rich Strike beat horses that had cost as much as $1.7 Million this past Saturday.

    Eric Reed, his trainer, who at 57 years of age, had been going to the track since age 6 helping his dad train horses, had only ever won one Graded Stakes (the highest level of racing), prior to winning with his first ever Ky Derby starter.  His jockey had never won a race with a purse worth more than $100,000, let alone a Grade One Stakes worth 30x that much. In a sport often dominated by Shieks and Billionaires, this win gave renewed hope to all the small owners, trainers, breeders, and small track jockeys who are competing in low level claiming races at small tracks across the Country.

   With almost 150,000 well dressed ladies in big hats, and men in wild and flashy colored suits at Churchill Downs to party and enjoy a sun splashed day of merriment, 20 of the best 3 year old Thoroughbreds in the World stepped onto the track at approximately 6:45 p.m. When the starting gate opened, Japanese bred Crown Pride and Summer is Tomorrow vied for the early lead. running the first quarter mile in under 22 seconds, and the first half in just over 45 seconds. There was no way that ridiculously fast early pace could be maintained, setting it up most likely for favored Epicenter, who was racing early in mid pack.

   Meanwhile, Rich Strike, who started in the far outside post number #20, while wearing #21, was angled immediately over to the rail in order to save ground going into the Clubhouse Turn. He was galloping along in 18th place,and was still in 15th place when the front runners rounded the Far Turn. As the early leaders started to fade, Epincenter, Zadon, and a few others who were in front of Rich Strike, went to the lead. Rich Strike’s jockey, Sonny Leon, who no one outside of Ohio had ever heard of, masterfully weaved his mount through 14 other horses, accelerating past them like a driver in a video game. Favored Epicenter held off Zandon for second, but was passed in the last fifty yards, losing to Rich Strike by just 3/4 of a length.

   After the race was over, the outrider tried to slow down Rich Strike, who was still in “race mode”. The unlikliest of winners bit both the pony horse and the outrider several times, not wanting to be restrained after winning just his second race in 8 career starts.

   Now it is on to the Preakness in Baltimore, the second leg of the Triple Crown. A maximum of only 14 horses can enter, but Rich Strike will not be on the Also Eligible list this time!!!  Only a few of the other Ky Derby horses will probably enter, as well as several “new shooters”. If you ever need another Hollywood Movie script for underdogs and the little guys coming out on top, that true story was just written.

   And Down the Stretch They Come!!!