Kentucky Derby winner ‘Rich Strike’ will not run in the Preakness

The long-shot winner of the Derby is being pointed toward the Belmont Stakes in June

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/AP) – There will not be a Triple Crown winner this year.  The owner of Kentucky Derby winner ‘Rich Strike’ announcing Thursday the colt will skip the Preakness Stakes and will be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes on June 11.

The colt’s owner, Rick Dawson released the following statement:

“Our original plan for Rich Strike was contingent on the Kentucky Derby, should we not run in the Derby we would point toward the Preakness, should we run in the Derby, subject to the race outcome and the condition of our horse, we would give him more recovery time and rest and run in the Belmont, or another race and stay on course to run with five or six weeks rest between races. “Obviously, with our tremendous effort and win in the Derby it’s very, very tempting to alter our course and run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group, however, after much discussion and consideration with my trainer, Eric Reed and a few others, we are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for Richie is what’s best for our group, and pass on running in the Preakness, and point toward the Belmont in approximately 5 weeks. “We thank the wonderful Preakness and Pimlico folks that have reached out to us & very much appreciate the invite. “We wish you all a great race!!!!

At odds of 80-1, Rich Strike became the longest shot to win the Kentucky Derby in more than a century.  Only Donerail at 91-1 in 1913 went off at longer odds.

Rich Strike was not expected to be the morning-line favorite for the Preakness, with Derby runner-up Epicenter and Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath set to be part of the field. He could have been the first Derby winner not to go off as the Preakness favorite at post time since 2012 when I’ll Have Another won the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

With Rich Strike’s surprise withdrawal, the Preakness will go on without the official Derby champion for the second time in four years. Country House and disqualified winner Maximum Security skipped the race in 2019.

Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit finished third in the 2021 Preakness after testing positive following the Derby for a substance not allowed on race day. Mandaloun, who was elevated to the 2021 Derby win long after Medina Spirit tested positive, did not run in the Preakness last year.

Rich Strike’s incredible charge past the leaders down the stretch at Churchill Downs after being initially left out of the Derby field became one of the biggest upsets in sports. The owners, trainer Reed and jockey Sonny Leon had all never won the race.

Adding to the impressive tale, Rich Strike had won only once before and had been claimed for $30,000 – pennies in racing and unlikely for Derby-caliber horses.

Neither Reed nor the Maryland Jockey Club immediately responded to messages from the AP seeking comment.

With Rich Strike pointing to the Belmont, the Preakness appears to be a wide-open race among horses back from the Derby, potentially including Zandon and fourth-place finisher Simplification. Trainer Chad Brown, who saddles Zandon, is also expected to enter Early Voting.

Horse racing has had two recent Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Each was trained by Baffert, who is currently serving a suspension in Kentucky for medication violations that is being observed in Maryland and elsewhere. Baffert transferred Derby horses Taiba and Messier to former assistant Tim Yakteen.

Neither is expected to run in the Preakness.

Longtime Baffert friend D. Wayne Lukas confirmed Wednesday that filly Secret Oath would run in the Preakness and decided to pick a different race next Saturday for Ethereal Road – the horse that was scratched to make room in the Derby for Rich Strike.