Rich Strike's improbable win at the Kentucky Derby leads to fun viewing
If you had bumped into Eric Reed prior to the Kentucky Derby, you might have asked him to park your car, and mind not to scratch it.
In fact, the only scratch that mattered to Reed at the moment was Ethereal Road, the most famous no-show since George Jones. It was only by the grace of Ethereal Road’s absence that the Reed-trained mount Rich Strike got into the Kentucky Derby field, which now includes more horses than Ben-Hur.
Reed and Rich Strike’s owner Rick Dawson said they expected to win the Derby, despite being the last girl invited to the prom. Uh-huh. So explain the red “just another day at the backstretch” blazer that anymore would have been a fashion faux pas even at Charles Town? Even the Kentucky Derby bugler thought that coat was too bright. No way Reed ever thought he'd be in front of the cameras on Saturday.
I credit the person who interviewed him. How would you know whether to ask, “What was key to winning the Derby?" or “How much do you want for that Pontiac Sunbird?”
We’re used to seeing Bob Baffert in his perfectly tailored navy blazer and khakis, with the button down blue oxford, gold tie and matching pocket square, as he explains why his latest Derby win meant more than all the others and blah blah blah.
So how great was it that 80-1 shot Rich Strike defied the odds and zig-zagged through the crowd like a mom at a Black Friday toy sale to smoke the blue blood? If you love horse racing but hate the stupid hats — which look like at any moment they might come alive and migrate to Paraguay — this Bud was for you.
I don’t know horses, but my wife Beth does, and when she saw the times posted for the first quarter, she said “Uh-oh” — as in, uh-oh, way too fast, something weird is going to happen. Her other prescient comment, as she had watched Rich Strike being loaded, was simply “a redhead.”
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Just because of that, and because the colt’s coloring stood out and because the announcers had made it sound like Rich Strike didn’t belong and would assuredly be last in the Derby (but first in the Alpo) I watched him from the start.
I watched as he parked himself about third from the last until all of a sudden it looked like he’d just been stung in the tuchus by the world’s largest hornet. I don’t think the guy calling the race said Rich Strike’s name once until he won it. “Coming down the stretch, it’s Epicenter and Zandon, Epicenter Zandon, Epicenter Zandon, and the winner iiiiis (checks program) Rich Strike!”
That wasn’t the best part.
No, the best part was when the race was over, and the redhead — not that I’m implying any stereotypes here — tried to beat the snot out of his escort pony. There hasn’t been that much biting in sports since Tyson-Holyfield. Rich Strike acted like he’d just been thrown out of a bar and was hollering “Who’s Next?”
Rich Strike now goes down as the Jimmy Conners of horse racing. It’s the sport of kings all right, if the king is Vlad the Impaler. I can’t wait for Rich Strike to get to Baltimore, land of Dundalk longshoremen and Natty Boh. He’ll fit right in.
Then the outrider on the pony responded by punching the new champion right in the chops, like he was Mongo in “Blazing Saddles.” I know animal rights activists were all aflutter, but they have no idea what it’s like trying to handle a naughty horse. These guys aren’t gerbils, they can do some damage.
Beth once felt bad about swatting an equine jerk, a 2-year-old Stutz Bearcat colt. When she confessed to the colt’s trainer, he said, “Oh, you’ve got to be careful about that — you can really hurt your hand.”
Tim Rowland is a Herald-Mail columnist.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: This year's Derby a saddle-full of enjoyment
