LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – When you win the Kentucky Derby, there’s very much an expectation – though certainly no requirement – that you will run again two weeks later in the Preakness in search of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.
Eric Reed, trainer of 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, felt that pressure, but turned away from it, making his colt the first healthy Derby winner since Spend a Buck in 1985 to pass on the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
In an interview with the “Inside Churchill Downs” program Saturday on ESPN 680 in Louisville, Reed talked about the difficulty of that decision.
“In one aspect, it’s the hardest decision I ever had to make as a trainer, and in another it wasn’t hard at all because I knew it was the right thing for the horse,” Reed told Darren Rogers of Churchill Downs. “In the horse industry there’s the Triple Crown and there’s our egos to try and become a Triple Crown winner. We sat down and weighed out all the options. What kept coming across to me was all along I told Rick I couldn’t work him every seven days, I had to work him every 10. That’s how he likes it. I can’t run him back quickly because it takes him that long to get mentally focused again.”
Reed said tried running Rich Strike back in December when he hadn’t been on his regular training regimen, and the results were flat. He finished fifth in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds.
“I kept coming back to the race at Fair Grounds and how he wasn’t on schedule and he missed training,” Reed said. “And he was not himself. I kept replaying that in my mind and no matter how good he was doing, that running back in two weeks has never been tried with him. If he went to Pimlico and wasn’t mentally ready to run it was all for nothing. Then it would kill my chance for the race I think we’re most likely to be competitive in and that’s the Belmont.”
We he combined the colt’s physical well being with chances for success, Reed said the decision on whether to run in the Preakness or wait for the Belmont became pretty clear.
“In the best interest of Richie and his career, which I hope is a long career with lots of races involved, the Preakness didn’t line up for him,” Reed said. “He has the worst running style in the world for a race like that. If he was a stalker and had more speed, the decision to run him may not have been as hard. He’s just the opposite.”
And so Rich Strike will wait another three weeks to try his luck at a mile and half in the Belmont Stakes. Kentucky Derby second-choice and runner up Epicenter is expected to be favorite in the Preakness, along with Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath.
Chances are, Rich Strike would’ve gone off at a decent price at Pimlico, though nothing like the 81-1 he had in the Derby. Reed said he had several friends make some good money betting the Derby on Rich Strike.
“I had one of my friends make six figures,” he said. “I had some other friends that made $70,000-$80,000. After taxes, of course. I heard a lot that made $12,000-$15,000 betting $50 across the board or something like that. I think many of them did it just because it was us and to root for the horse as a fun bet. I had some guys that keyed him in the exotics and did some crazy things. It was really good for them. I can tell you I did not bet $2. I wanted to bet a $2 ticket just for a souvenir but I was so caught up in what was happening that I forgot to do it. I’m probably the only one in the entire barn that didn’t have at least $2 on him.”
He’ll have to settle for his own slice of history. And, hopefully, more races from Rich Strike.
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