Derby weekend Winners & Losers

Real Writing on Racing 💯

PC 📸: AP

“What the hell just happened?”

One of legendary baseball broadcaster Jack Buck’s (sire of Joe) most famous calls was when a badly hobbled Kirk Gibson hit an improbable, bottom of the ninth, game winning, walk-off home run in the first game of the 1988 World Series (listen here). Buck exclaimed in a voice best described as astounded, “I don’t believe what I just saw….I don’t believe what I just saw…”. As I watched the events late in the stretch run of the 2022 Kentucky Derby unfold, I knew exactly how Jack Buck felt that October night all those years ago.

Follow thoroughbred racing long enough and you are sure to be astonished at some confluence of events that causes your bewilderment. Rich Strike, an unheralded, to say the least, son of American Pharoh conquerer Keen Ice won the Kentucky Derby yesterday and it still seems impossible. On our Going in Circles podcast Big Monday show, my co-host Barry Spears and I spend an inordinate amount of time talking about the Triple Crown trail and honestly the majority is focused on the Derby. I don’t recall the name Rich Strike being uttered a single, solitary time. Not once. Not even in our Thursday night before the Derby (not that other silly word for that day) Oaks/Derby Preview Show (which gave you a plethora of great information) did we even mention that colt as it was unlikely for him to even draw in to the field and even less likely to be any sort of factor from post 20, or any of them really.

His trainer Eric Reed had a single graded victory in a career spanning 37 years and hadn’t won any sort of stakes in his last 52 tries. His jockey Sonny Leon had no graded stakes wins despite having ridden over 5000 mounts. His owner Richard Dawson (not the kissing one) only has had a “handful” of winners in his brief time in the sport. Progeny of sire Keen Ice had made 486 starts before yesterday with but one single stakes winner and that was in the Clasico George Washington at Camarero in Puerto Rico. The Turfway Park road to the Kentucky Derby which Rich Strike had taken hasn’t has an iota of success since Animal Kingdom way back in 2011. His top Beyer speed figure was an 84, his top Thorograph number was a 9. He broke his maiden in a claiming race the day his current connections acquired him, they had never stood in the winners circle with him before yesterday.

This isn’t how Kentucky Derbies are won.

Yet Rich Strike most definitely is the winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (provided that he passes the post race drug screening 🙁) and a deserving winner at that. He took advantage of a wild pace meltdown, a daring ride, and a trainer that believes in him just enough to say yes when track officials called to tell him that he had a spot in the starting gate if he chooses to use it.

I still don’t believe what I just saw…

Derby weekend winners and losers

🏆 Eric Reed - Guy went from worst to first in 24 hours. On Oaks Day he ran last in maiden claiming race at Belterra Park as the favorite. Next day wins the Kentucky Derby with rank outsider. What a game 🤷🏼‍♂️

👎🏼 Figure Eights as a Derby training technique - We were told that us 🇺🇸 barbarians were so behind the times🇯🇵 when it comes to training techniques. Seems like circles and every other day workouts (not far off) weren’t the secret formula 🧪 for Derby success. 🚫⛸

🏆 Jackie’s Warrior - He got away with a soft first quarter (22.76) and dominated the proceedings from there winning the CD Stakes as he pleased against many of the top sprinters in the East/Midwest. He’s back 💨

👎🏼 “The Derby is going to have a soft pace/Messier is going wire to wire”people - Oops you did it again! You know who you are! Good call by HorseRacingNation’s Sara Elbadwi who was adamant for weeks now that Summer is Tomorrow is going to the lead in the Kentucky Derby and she was 💯 correct.

🏆 Chad Brown fillies - He didn’t have an Oaks filly but his fillies didn’t disappoint this weekend. McKulick and Dolce Zel ran 2nd and 3rd in the Edgewood, Bleecker Street stayed undefeated in 6 starts with a victory in the Modesty with Fluffy Socks running 2nd, In Italian ran 2nd to stablemate and ultra impressive import Speak of the Devil in the Distaff Turf mile, Gina Romantica just got up to win an off the grass allowance at Belmont, Virginia Joy won the soggy Sheepshead Bay, Boston Post Road also won an off the turf allowance and Search Results rebounded off a tepid effort in her comeback race to power home to beat Royal Flag in the Ruffian at Belmont on Sunday.

👎🏼 East Coast Weather - Monmouth Park had to cancel racing Saturday which was supposed to be their seasons opener with the great Gabe Prewitt handling the announcing chores. Belmont was off the grass except for two stakes and sloppy on Saturday. ⛈🌨🌩🌧

🏆 Sonny Leon - 4th leading jockey at Belterra Park engineered the biggest upset involving a Leon since Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali for the Heavyweight title in 1978. 🥊

👎🏼 Chad Summers diet - We made a bet on Cyberknife in the Derby where if he won I had to lose 40 pounds and if he lost, Chad had to lose 40. Well…he got beat 42 lengths which is fitting for Chad who will be eating rice cakes and salads for weeks 🥗

🌟 New Year’s Eve - This was our strongest opinion on Oaks day and she didn’t disappoint blowing away the field in the Edgewood (14-1💵💵💵) under new rider Luis Saez. She is gonna to be a force to reckon with in the 3 year old filly turf division

👎🏼👎🏼 TVG - C’mon TVG you are owned by biggest gambling operation in the world 🌎 and your ADW blows a gasket on Derby day? Booooooooo!!!

🏆 Bill Mott - Obligatory has come back as a monster closing sprinter as a 4 year old and he has a hammer lock on the middle distance dirt older male division with Olympiad and Speakers Corner

🏀 The Milwaukee Bucks - Move over Greek Freak, Rich Strike won the Derby so I’m reporting for duty as Khris Middleton’s replacement (if you read the Going in Circles Derby preview you’d get this so don’t make the same mistake for the Preakness!)

In case you somehow missed it here is the 2022 Kentucky Derby