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A Cinderella story was born Saturday at the 2022 Kentucky Derby, as long-shot Rich Strike, defied the odds to win the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports. The 3-year-old colt was mostly ignored by the media and bettors prior to the race, which was understandable. Apart from its 80-1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike was a late entry to the event. It only managed to get on the lineup when Ethereal Road was scratched last Friday.
The rest was history.
After the race, Rich Strike and his team were showered with cheers, as trainer Eric R. Reed and jockey Sonny Leon were making their way to a news conference.
Via Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times:
The trainer, jockey and owners of Rich Strike, who certainly lived up to his name in the Derby, paying his backers $163.60 on a $2 bet to win, just walked into the press room here at Churchill Downs for the customary news conference with the winners. Loud cheers escorted them into the building.
A strong finish for Rich Strike powered its way to the victory at Kentucky Derby, outpacing pre-race favorites Epicenter and Zandon. Reed was clearly stunned by the result. He had not owned a horse that raced at the Derby before, so Rich Strike's success was a shock, even to him.
Via Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal:
“I don't know how (to put the win into words),” trainer Eric Reed said. “I fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire. I about passed out. I'm so happy. This is something, you know, is the reason everybody does this, because we're not supposed to be here, but I knew this horse loved the track, and we've been training so good all year.”
Rich Strike won just one race seven starts before the Kentucky Derby. Now, it's a horse people will remember for a very long time.
