LEXINGTON, Ky. — Before 80-1 long shot Rich Strike broke last from the gate in the 148th Kentucky Derby, his rider, Venezuela native Sonny Leon, had such a light footprint in North American horse racing, he had never won a graded stakes race.
In the 2:02.61 it took to finish the 2022 Run for the Roses, Leon turned in a ride — equal parts patient and fabulously bold — that no one present at Churchill Downs on an overcast Saturday will ever forget.
Taking advantage of a suicidal early pace, Leon booted the late-charging Rich Strike from 15th at the 1-mile pole to a stunning three-quarters-of-a-length victory over favored Epicenter.
