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ELMONT, NY — As Rick Dawson described the journey since they picked Rich Strike out of a $30,000 maiden race nine months ago, it was like a recitation of the American racing dream, the last month of which has played out in real time on the National stage.
There’s not a shred of pretense in the wake of a historical disruption, and a lot of humility amid the deluge of attention. Just a group that is far removed from the elite of the sport and taking advantage of a unique opportunity.
It’s the story that racing desperately needs right now. A story that transcends the sport for all the right reasons, as the ultimate longshot returns to the track in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, five weeks away from a stunning disruption in the Kentucky Derby.
“We just claimed him and gave him a $90,000 stipend at Keeneland, and he came from last to third and then passed those two horses within 50 yards of the finish line at a mile,” explains Dawson, a semi-retired oil/gas engine. businessman from Oklahoma. “(Manager) Eric (Reed) sees things I don’t, but a few weeks after that he said, ‘You know, I think we’ve got something here. I think this man can run, and I don’t know exactly where, but I think we have a horse with a stake after all.’ I said ‘Derby?’ and he said, ‘I hate to say that, but I don’t know. Could be.’
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“So we just went to the first Saturday in May on the calendar and from there we backed up, and we picked our races as best we could with four or five weeks in between and we stuck to our plan.”
The result was an age-old story from rags to riches. A last-minute contestant on Friday morning, and an exciting piece that ran early Saturday night, resulting in a nearly $2 million payday.
BELMONT STAKES: Post positions, morning line; We the people were favorites at 2-1
In many ways, Rich Strike’s performance in the Kentucky Derby was the most significant win in some time for an industry struggling to regain a foothold after a string of high-profile scandals.
It was only fitting that Rich Strike was installed as the third pick in the Belmont, not the favorite, when the morning line was revealed and the post positions were drawn on Tuesday.
Achieving Immortality
Against the backdrop that the past year offers, the juxtaposition couldn’t be stronger.
The lead-up to the Kentucky Derby centered on trainer Bob Baffert, who, after nearly a year of legal battle, was denied what would have been his seventh Derby win because Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test. Baffert is currently suspended over the incident. Medina Spirit died in Santa Anita after training last December 6, during which an autopsy could not find a definitive cause of death.
In 2019, Maximum Security was disqualified for interference after winning the Kentucky Derby. Not long after, the colt’s trainer, Jason Servis, was a leading figure in the federal doping charges that rocked the sport.
From revelations that 2018 Triple Crown winner Justified failed a drug test after the Santa Anita Derby that should have prevented him from competing in the Kentucky Derby if the rules were followed, to the current power struggle over upcoming federal regulations about the sport, it’s a wild ride.
Then came an unheralded colt who took the first Class 1 win for his owner, trainer and jockey, Sonny Leon, the three-time defending riding champion at Mahoning Valley in Youngstown, Ohio, who wove through traffic like a Hall of Famer, a dose of immortality for all involved.
Their Triple Crown course included a trio of small-stakes, no-win races on the synthetic surface of Turfway Park in Kentucky, culminating in a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks. Rich Strike only made it to the Kentucky Derby the day before the race due to a late scratch.
“(Rich Strike) was begging for more terrain and he’s not the best on the synthetic,” said Reed, “but it’s just the only way we could get him there without having to travel a lot for the races. I knew that as we would get him on the ground he would get much better When I worked him (at Churchill Downs) for the Derby it was a big job.
Sentimental favorite
It was a PR boondoggle for a sport that still finds itself at an important crossroads, where the reality of racing and public perception collide to create the most critical moment the game has ever experienced. The top view of his exciting stretch drive became a viral video.
“I’ve received several handwritten letters across the country, Canada and Italy,” Dawson said.
“I get a lot of emails from people and they’ve all given 100 percent support for the way we’ve handled our horse and they’ve been very complimentary about our crew. Everyone is very humble and grateful for what we have done. We understand the magnitude of what has just happened, but we remain focused and we want to do what is best for Rich Strike.”
Reed added: “I think the most important thing for me is the guys in the shed and that my staff gets some attention. They work hard and never get anything, so it’s good to see how it happens to those guys.”
So whoever the favorite is on the board, Rich Strike will be the sentimental favorite across the country. And that’s exactly what racing needs right now.
