Rich Strike likely headed for Preakness after stunning Kentucky Derby win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Eric Reed, his hair a tad mussed, stepped out of an SUV on Sunday morning to check on the horse that had changed his life the night before.

“I haven’t slept yet,” he said.

No surprise that his nerves did not settle quickly after he watched his 80-1 long shot, Rich Strike, run down a pack of more celebrated horses to win the 148th Kentucky Derby.

The new champ looked none the worse for wear as camera people gathered to capture his morning bath outside Barn 17. Reed said Rich Strike ate all of his dinner Saturday night and was moving well. Television viewers saw him gnawing on his pony after the Derby, suggesting the effort did not drain him of his fight.

“I think he thought he had another horse to beat,” Reed joked. “I don’t think we got to the bottom of him yesterday.”

Does that mean Rich Strike will be ready to go May 21 in the Preakness Stakes? Reed said that’s what he and owner Rick Dawson want, though they won’t commit until they’ve observed Rich Strike for a few days at his home barn in Lexington.

Preakness officials called Sunday morning to extend a formal invitation. “That’s the plan,” Reed said into a cellphone. If he does go, Rich Strike will ship from Kentucky in time to spend a few mornings on the track at unfamiliar Pimlico Race Course.

Reed has never been to Baltimore but said “The Wire” is one of his favorite television programs. He owns an “Omar’s Coming” sweatshirt.

The 57-year-old trainer, anonymous to the wider racing world until Saturday night, is a natural character. The pinkie on his right hand was painted with gold nail polish, a ritual he began 12 years ago with his daughter, Martha, who thought he needed an extra boost when he took a talented mare, Rinterval, to challenge the great Zenyatta.

“You guys want to get a better picture?” Reed said Sunday morning. Then he took off his right shoe to reveal all his toe nails were painted gold as well.

Elsewhere at Churchill Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen did not rule out taking Derby runner-up Epicenter to Baltimore for a Preakness rematch.

“He came out of the race good, so we’ll just try to move forward,” Asmussen said. “I haven’t spoken to [owner] Ron [Winchell], but I will speak with him later, and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do next.”

In 2007, one of Asmussen’s greatest horses, Curlin, finished third in the Derby and bounced back to win the Preakness. Two years later, he saddled Rachel Alexandra for her Preakness victory.

Other contenders had already begun lining up to take a shot at Rich Strike.

Early Voting qualified for the Derby after running an impressive second in the April 9 Wood Memorial, but his trainer, Chad Brown, and his owner, Baltimore native Seth Klarman, opted to hold off for the Preakness. Five years earlier, they chose the same approach with Cloud Computing, and their patience paid off with a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“The horse is doing super,” Brown said of Early Voting. “He’s only had three career starts. He hadn’t had anywhere near the adversity in some of his starts that [morning-line Derby favorite] Zandon had. There’s still a little bit of a question with that horse at a mile and a quarter, so I thought going a mile and 3/16 [in the Preakness], getting six weeks rest instead of four, running in a 14-horse field instead of 20, it’s probably more fair for the future of the horse. And I have a tremendously patient owner with Seth Klarman … so it was a pretty easy decision to do the right thing by the horse.”

The decision set up Early Voting to be a popular choice in the Preakness, where he’ll try to take advantage of tired Derby horses as Cloud Computing did in 2017.

Brown said third-place Derby finisher Zandon would ship back to New York on Monday but left open the possibility that he might join Early Voting in the Preakness field.

Meanwhile, six-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas said he might enter his Kentucky Oaks winner, Secret Oath, in the second leg of the Triple Crown. She’s also a candidate for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes the day before.

“We’re tickled to see her come out of that tough race and to be bouncing around here this morning,” the 86-year-old Lukas said the day after the Oaks. “The Preakness is an option but so is the Black-Eyed Susan. The big difference is a million dollars and a Grade 1. It would be nice to get her a second Grade 1 [win].”

Swiss Skydiver won the Preakness after finishing runner-up in the Oaks in 2020. Rachel Alexandra won the Oaks in 2009 and turned around to beat Mine That Bird, a 50-1 Derby winner, at Pimlico. A similar scenario could be appealing to Lukas, who loves to push his horses into the biggest races.

Maryland-bred Joe could bring local flavor to the Preakness coming off his victory in the April 16 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park. Owner Stuart Grant said he and trainer Mike Trombetta would assess the competition coming out of the Derby before entering Joe, a four-time winner in six career starts.

“I guess we’ll see how the Derby goes [and] we’ll see how our horse continues to progress,” Grant said last week. “It’s a nice position to be in. I’m very happy with how Joe’s done.”

Trainer Kenny McPeek said Creative Minister, an impressive winner on the Derby undercard, is a possibility for the Preakness. He’ll watch how eighth-place Derby finisher Smile Happy recovers before deciding what’s next for him.

Until Rich Strike unexpectedly joined the Derby field Friday morning, Reed thought he’d spend Saturday on a lake fishing with his father. He’s not used to being a target in a nationally televised race with a crowd of 100,000-plus focused on his every move. But he did not seem daunted by the prospect.

He thought his life in racing might be over six years ago when a fire ravaged his barn and killed 23 horses. So this is all the best kind of gravy.

“I’m so happy to be here on a bright, sunny day,” he said. “And everyone’s happy.”

147th Preakness Stakes

Pimlico Race Course

May 21

TV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins at 2 p.m.)