LEXINGTON, Ky. — And we thought the Kentucky Derby was returning to normal.
Turns out the 148th running of the “greatest two minutes in sports” produced a result that was far from normal as 80-1 shot Rich Strike rallied from way off the pace, then got through on the rail to win the $3 million Grade 1 race in a time of 2:02.61.
“He passed them all,” said winning trainer Eric Reed.
Owned by Richard Dawson’s Red TR-Racing and trained by the 57-year-old Reed, Rich Strike was an “also-eligible” who only gained entry into the 20-horse field when Ethereal Road scratched on Friday.
Given little to no shot by the experts or the bettors, the son of Keen Ice passed Derby favorite Epicenter in the stretch to shock the crowd on a cool, cloudy afternoon at Churchill Downs in the first full Derby after two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
Epicenter finished second, extending trainer Steve Asmussen’s record to 0-24 in the Kentucky Derby. Blue Grass Stakes winner Zandon was third, followed by Simplification in fourth.
Out of the No. 20 post position, ridden by Sonny Leon, Rich Strike paid a record $163.60 to win, $74.20 to place and $29.40 to show. Epicenter paid $7.40 and $5.20. Zandon paid $5.60 to show. The 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird went off at 50-1.
He is the second-longest shot to win the Kentucky Derby, trailing only Donerail, who won the 1913 race as a 91-1 shot.
Rich Strike was bred by Calumet Farm, bringing to nine the number of Kentucky Derby winners bred by the Lexington farm. Rich Strike joins Whirlaway (1941), Pensive (1944), Citation (1948), Ponder (1949), Hill Gail (1952), Iron Liege (1957), Tim Tam (1958) and Forward Pass (1968).
Last time out, Rich Strike rallied from 11th to finish third in the Jeff Ruby Steaks on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Turfway behind Tiz the Bomb and Tawny Port on April 2. He ran fourth in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on March 5 at Turfway.
Saturday, his closing style benefited greatly from a red-hot pace set by Summer Is Tomorrow, the runner-up in the UAE Derby. The first quarter-mile went in a swift 21.78 seconds. The half-mile flew by in a blistering 45.36 seconds.
Those fractions set up the race scenario for the others and for much of the stretch it appeared the tactical Epicenter would be the one to take advantage. The Louisiana Derby winner was followed closely by Zandon, until out of nowhere came Rich Strike, No. 21, to claim the roses.
In fact, Rich Strike was 18th at the three-quarters pole before turning on the jets to pass tired horses. He went around the fading Messier to take aim at the leaders in the late stretch.
This was the first Kentucky Derby entrant for Reed, a lifetime horseman with over 1,400 wins since he took out his license in 1985. His father, Herbert, was a trainer after serving as an assistant to MacKenzie Miller, who conditioned 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero.
In December of 2016, Reed lost 23 horses in a barn fire at the Mercury Equine Center just outside Lexington. The fire was believed to be started by a lightning strike during a thunderstorm.
Previously owned by Calumet Farm, Rich Strike was claimed for $30,000 by Reed after breaking his maiden by 17 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs on Sept. 17. After that, Rich Strike ran third in an optional claiming race at Keeneland last October. Reed took the colt to Louisiana where he ran fifth in the Gun Runner on Dec. 26 at the Fair Grounds.
Reed brought him back to Turfway in January for the Leonatus Stakes, where he ran third, the first of three races at the Latonia track in which he finished third, fourth and third. He was No. 21 at the Kentucky Derby draw on Monday, meaning that a horse would have to drop out for Rich Strike to make the field.
“I didn’t know if he’d win,” said Reed after the win, “but I knew they would know who he was when the race was over.”
Dawson is an Oklahoma resident who says he is semi-retired from the energy business. Rich Strike is also Dawson’s first Kentucky Derby horse.
“What planet is this?” he said afterward. “This is unbelievable. I asked my trainer if this was real and he assured me it was real.”
Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba, who was second choice in the betting at 5-1, finished 12th in just his third career start. Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife finished 18th out of 20. Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal, who drew the No. 1 post position, finished fifth.
Japanese-bred Crown Pride, winner of the UAE Derby, wound up 13th. After setting the blistering pace, Summer is Tomorrow finished last.
