Preakness: Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike Out, Triple Crown Dead

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will be held out of the Preakness. It will be the first time since 1985 that a healthy Derby winner skips the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown.

Precedence of Missing the Preakness

Part of the allure of the Kentucky Derby is that a victory means a chance to complete the elusive Triple Crown. In any given year the opportunity to complete the feat falls squarely on the shoulders of one horse.

The chance to be a part of horse racing’s most elite club can often be enough to get connections to feel obligated to run in the 2nd leg following a Kentucky Derby victory. However, Rich Strike will hardly be the first to miss the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown.

Past Derby Winners to Skip Preakness

The total number of Kentucky Derby winners to skip the Preakness is now at 11.

1. 1938 Lawrin- Ineligible
2. 1951 Count Turf- Ineligible
3. 1952 Hill Gail- Injury
4. 1954 Determine- Rest
5. 1955 Swaps- Injury
6. 1959 Tomy Lee- Rest
7. 1982 Gato Del Sol- Rest
8. 1985 Spend A Buck- Rest
9. 1996 Grindstone- Injury
10. 2019 Country House*- Illness
11. 2022 Rich Strike- Rest

*2019 saw Country House elevated to first following the disqualification of Maximum Security.

Mandaloun

Technically the list of Kentucky Derby winners who didn’t run in the Preakness is 12 if you count, now 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun. However, since he wasn’t awarded the victory until 2022 he was not counted.

At the time of the running Medina Spirit was still considered the champion and did in fact run in the Preakness Stakes following expanded screening procedures.

Why Skip the Preakness?

The reaction to Rich Strike passing on the Preakness has spanned the gambit. The connections originally suggested that he came out of the race in good order and was pointed toward Maryland. So why the change?

Quick Turnaround

Rich Strike ran 6 races prior to the Kentucky Derby. None of them were less than 22 days apart. The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness sit just 14 days apart from each other on the calendar.

This would make a run in the 2nd crown jewel the quickest turn around the horse has ever encountered. It is quite possible that the connections were just concerned about what toll the Kentucky Derby took on the champion. Since it took everything the horse had to win the Derby the prospect of getting an 80% effort may not have been appealing.

Outrageous Pace

Rich Strike was 80-1 and probably deserved to be higher in the Kentucky Derby based on the form lines. The ride from jockey Sonny Leon was impeccable, but the reality is that this horse hit the lottery.

The pace set in the Run for the Roses was among the fastest in any edition of the race. This includes the pre-points era which saw sprinters entered as “rabbits” in the race. The chaos from this pace set things up for any horse that was running late.

The reality is that given the defections from the 2022 Preakness it is highly unlikely that Rich Strike would experience anything close to the pace set in the last race and that would make the challenge of winning all the more difficult.

Public Opinion

The reaction to the news that Rich Strike won’t be running has been mixed as it so often is in the social media age. Some have applauded the connections for doing right by the horse and taking him out of the race.

Others argue that the death of the Triple Crown dreams mean that the casual race fans have no reason to watch the Preakness. This in turn will hurt racing in its never-ending quest to attract a new fan base to the game.

Do Right By The Horse

For those concerned with attracting new fans to the game, this move should be seen as an overwhelming positive. Too often racing is painted in the light of millionaire owners so in love with their own greed that they will do whatever it takes to pad their pockets.

Here you have modest connections among the classic division. This may be the only Kentucky Derby the owner ever owns, the trainer ever trains, and the jockey ever rides. They have so much to gain by trying to get the horse to win the Preakness.

Yet here they are opting to give the horse extra rest off the big effort to make sure he can have a career going forward. If ever there was an example of putting the horse first, this is it.

Not that Good?

Cynics respond to the above argument by saying that the connections are just scared and know that their horse has no chance in the Preakness. To that, I say good for the connections.

As a part owner of claiming horse, I have seen first hand how hard it can be to get these horses to the races. Injuries, illness, and racing conditions can get in the way getting horses to the track.

For many horses on the Triple Crown trail, careers can be short lived. The connections should be encouraged to maximize the career of their Derby winner by picking spots where they think he can win. After all the trainer has said outright that they never enter the horse if they don’t think he can win.

If they truly believed they had a Triple Crown winner in the barn, the horse would be running next Saturday.

Rich Strike Out, Who’s In?

With several of the Kentucky Derby runners out, including the champ, here’s a look at who is pointed to run in the 2022 Preakness.

• Armagnac
• Epicenter (D)
• Happy Jack (D)
• Un Ojo
• Skippylongstocking
• Secret Oath (O)
• Creative Minister
• Simplification (D)
• Early Voting
• Shake Em Loose

(D) Ran in Kentucky Derby

(O) Ran in Kentucky Oaks

Continued Preakness Coverage

Betting News will have greater coverage of the Preakness Stakes throughout the week.

• Pimlico Track Trends: Playing the Track to Pick the Preakness (Tuesday 9 am Eastern)
• New Shooters: Reviewing the Resume’s of Preakness Horses that Skipped the Derby (Wednesday 9 am Eastern)
• Black Eyed Susan Full Card Analysis (Wednesday 2 pm Eastern)
• Preakness Stakes Full Card Analysis (Thursday 9 am Eastern)
• Preakness Stakes Betting Strategies for Every Bankroll (Thursday 2 pm Eastern)