Reed: Rich Strike To Gear Up For 2023 Campaign Following Break

A day after finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), RED TR-Racing's Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Rich Strike departed Keeneland to return to trainer Eric Reed's Mercury Equine Center, where he will get a break before a 2023 campaign.

“He came back great,” Reed said of how the Keen Ice colt emerged from the race, won by Flightline. “He left at 9 this morning to come back to Mercury (in Lexington). We will see how he feels the next couple days, but most likely he will get a little break and gear up for a 4-year-old campaign.”

Sent off a 24-1 in the Classic, Richie Strike and jockey Sonny Leon were next to last of eight runners at the half-mile mark, were carried out on the backstretch by faltering Epicenter (who sustained an injury), then closed ground in the stretch before finishing 11 ½ lengths behind Flightline.

“Richie ran his heart out; he lost valuable ground when Epicenter had his issue,” Reed said in a Facebook post Sunday. “Our hopes are he will continue to mature and be a top older horse. ”

Rich Strike, who won the Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds, entered the Breeders' Cup Classic off a close second to Hot Rod Charlie (sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic) in the Lukas Classic (G2) Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs, following his fourth to Epicenter in the Travers (G1) Aug. 27 at Saratoga.