Thrilled for Rich Strike and everyone connected with his Kentucky Derby win! A Master Class in how a horse and jockey positioned in the 21st gate (which was the first problem in a race), managed to maneuver and find the "holes" and "opportunities" to make it through the pack of 20 other horses and...WIN! That race will go down in history as a win that was successfully won fair and square with good honest horsemanship and no Bob Baffert underhandedness. BRAVO!
@@sandymoseley You can be sure, unfortunately, that rival competitors are currently plotting strategies to prevent a second win if he goes to the Preakness. Leon stated that the horse likes the rail position. Let's hope that comment was a ruse. But they will block/hinder and make him work even harder to get the next jewel in the crown. I, for one, would like to see him spank them again!
It doesn't matter who owns the horse. That groom owns his heart. That is his horse. I hope whatever happens after his career, Rich Strike and his groom find a way to stay connected. Congratulations!
Agree with you 100%. This beautiful horse trusts his groomer and he loves it. He is very comfortable with the groomer. I pray they stay together. The horse will look forward to seeing his groom. Their buddies now and as we see it here. He's such a magnificent horse. I love him and the groom together. What a great team Great job!.
This horse had to win, the love that the trainer and his assistants feel for that horse is priceless, it is pure love, blessed be America, there is something special about that horse, I am more than sure that he will win the Triple Crown, the whole world will have their eyes on this wonderful horse, I want to see him run in the Dubai Derby.
He will not race in the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown (Preakness Stakes), owner and trainer said that they don't want to push the horse to run on 2 weeks rest, we gotta remember that Rich Strike was a a last minute sub and it's a huge risk for the horse given that he wasn't programmed to participate and much less run all 3 races, he will run in the 3rd leg the Belmont Stakes.
He is sticking his tongue out to all those who have been shocked and dismayed over his win and those other horses that thought they were going to win. What an amazing race and horse to run like he did from last to first at the last turn and straight away. Gorgeous horse! His tongue out is endearing.
His tongue has no where else to go because they have the chain in his mouth that relaxes him and keeps him calmer. I suspect this guy is a tough one who is pretty wild most times
Sticking tongue out because of the chain in his mouth. It is not a bit and bridle. It is a halter with a chain lead that is in his mouth. Not commonly seen.
@@bobbygoff8766 His tongue sticking out has nothing to do with the chain that is applied over his gums above his front teeth. You don't know what you are talking about. That's like saying every horse that wears a bit would have its tongue sticking out because there's no room for the bit.... ridiculous. The chain doesn't run through his mouth. It's under his front lip above the teeth.
No, that chain goes across his lip to keep him under control unfortunately. That’s what makes his tounge stick out. That was an incredible race. Beautiful
Congratulations to all involved with this beautiful horse. Looks like he is quite the character. He looks like my horse “Fuze” He is one of the last born sons of Secretariat and he is a funny boy. They pinfired his legs to early, so his racing days where zilch. He went from being worth a million dollars to five thousand dollars. That’s when I bought him.
@@MikeSmith-cn6ub it’s an old style Veteranary treatment. Where they use small red hot probes to cauterize an injury. It caused his tendon to bow and he could not be used for racing. They do things differently today
congradulations to all the Team You all and Rich Strike are the best. An amazing race I love how he sticks out his tongue and plays with it. He is a very hansom athlete Your jockey was amazing. The Derby is history and will never be taken away from you all. One for the history books. If Rich Strike goes to the Preakness I wish everyone the best . I love how you all are so honest and "down to earth"
When he was running in the derby and coming up on the first horse he looked over and shifted into high gear. He reminds me of sea bisket and man o war. Rich strike is making history. Best of luck..
Congratulations to Rich Strike, his Jockey, Sonny Leon and his Owner, Trainer and his Groom, who he loves, and who handles him so well and for whom he behaves like a real gentleman! I like the Trainer's philosophy, "We do what's best for the horse." I hope they have double security for Rich Strike and keep him safe, healthy and happy! Good Luck to this winning Team!
This is a tough sport. Nothing is given to you. Dreams come and go but the love of the game keeps you fighting on. It's the same dream that is carried on from the bush tracks to the elite world of horse racing. It's about the LOVE of the game! Horse racing is the greats sport on earth.
There has been lots of comments about Rich Strikes burst of speed in the last half of the race, some with suspicion. Consider this. Anyone who has participated in, and trained, for long distance running understands how to get your "second wind". Properly training your body how to conserve and then call on it for energy is a matter of training and nutrition.
He had a burst of speed at the end because he finally cleared the middle of the pack and had an opening to really run. He was boxed in real good in heavy traffic thru the middle of that race. Amazing there wasn’t a collision.
There gonna make more money off a movie deal soon. Watch and see that will happen. He had a heart big as Texas. Got him for next to nothing. Now his stud fee will be around 200 to 500 thousands. Amazing.
Wow ! Rich Strike is now a superstar horse ; so many fans and admirer all over the world ! Humble and simple in his incredible historic win ; loves to hung his tongue and pose for picture ! 😊😊😊
A TRUE AMERICAN STORY !! The Story is SO American just like American Pie !!! Mr. Reed Almost lost everything because of a fire and folks jump in and help him recover and he ends up at the Derby and WINS!! A GREAT Jockey from Venezuela rides a gusty race and ONLY in America can this happen and that is why America is GREAT and will always be GREAT. GOD Bless all Americans and GOD Bless Mr. Reed and his family and especially his Father!! Times are tough for the majority and it’s stories like this that make us dream and make us proud to be an American. There are hundreds of “feel” good stories that take place EVERY day in our country but the news media prefers to print negativity thus convincing a lot of Americans WE are bad people…..WE are NOT bad, WE are GOOD people, all of us….White, Black, Asian, etc. and etc. and WE will NOT allow politicians who have sold their souls to defeat the good.
I don't miss those poultice days. All these workers work hard and they're also winners. Bravo to the whole team for bring back the true meaning of racing.
@@RosebudBB That’s not how it works in THIS Industry You win and go back home unless you have a permanent stall .Meaning the Trainer has his stable at Churchill Downs . This is not the case . Rich Strike is stabled at Equine a more private Facility .
Jerry Dixon Jr and Rich Strike have stolen my heart. Truly nothing more heartwarming than the bond they share! All American Love Story! #AgainstAllOdds 🥰
Thanks so much for teaching us a valuable lesson : “So the last will be first, and the first will be last”. Love ❤️ you Rich Strike. Faith faith people is what we need always. Let’s support horse 🐎 racing !!!
I hope we get to hear more about rich strike and his trainer,owner, and crew as well . I just love a good story. And yes I believe it's all in a day's work.
Beautiful boy. He has an alert but calm eye, and his body language is relaxed. The lip chain is causing him no problems. He apparently just likes to hang his tongue out. Some horses are goofballs like that.
The lip chain actually releases endorphins which causes a calming effect when used correctly like seen here. Horses that stick their tongue out use that as a pacifier.... he's a 3 year old thumb sucker.
such a good boy! something so powerful about nature. in the world of technology and apathy, this is an amazing breath of fresh air and a reminder that love is the answer
If he continues to perform as he did in the derby, he could easily win the triple. I watched the aerial view where it looked like somebody lit a rocket booster on his azz on the last stretch. Unbelievable.
Thank you for sharing this; it brings back 8 years of memories as a groom. If I had a dollar for every leg I bandaged, I know I'd be quite wealthy. I got to know Eddie Sweat, the groom of Secretariat; he was a once-in-a-lifetime horse. And this Derby was a real thing of beauty to watch. How much you wanna bet he'll never run at 81:1 odds again? I'm very interested to see how Rich Strike proceeds in his career.
@@PlainOlPatty ... that is called "poultice". It's like "mud".. and you wet your hands, reach in the bucket of mud and grab a handful, then slide it over the horse's leg. Covering well, but not "too" thick. Poulticing a horse after a hard workout is a time-honored treatment for drawing out pain, fluid, and inflammation from horses' legs. A poultice is great as it keeps a horse from stocking up (swelling). :)
Agree. They should probably give the horse to him when the horse retires from racing and the original owners could retain breeding rights. So the horse and man can have a happy retirement on the property ❤
The guy with braids should ask the trainer to show him how to train and let him be an assistant trainer. The man has a great way with horses so would make a good trainer. You can tell just by watching this.
That's a good one,it does make you cry for the horse. He knows he won,but he just don't know what he won.He won the hearts of millions.It also reflect why animals has such a great effect on us. That is because their love and our love is unconditional. Unlike hand who tend to lie about everything and won't help a frog to the pond.
one can get in a car to see what man has made but one must get on a horse to see what God has made -author unknown what a great race and an amazing horse!
That horse is a beast, he looks like an top athlete. Love his proportions and musculature. He looked like he could win the triple crown. No horse runs at that pace at the back of the pack for the first half mile, still gains ground, fights for the lead and wins. Excellent combination of speed and stamina. If you looked at the race you could actually see his movement into another gear after he overtook Messier on the stretch. That horse still had more to give. Hope they enter him in the remaining two races for the triple crown. That horse is a special horse. He looks like Secretariat's distant cousin. If he goes to the Preakness, he has to be mid pack at the start of the race and at least third coming into the final stretch, because it is the shortest of the three triple crown races.
I'm so glad you said hitting another gear! I thought the same thing and he was moving away but the race was over. It would have been more than a length!
On to the Preakness and maybe Belmont. The journey for Reed and company is going all the way to the Breeders Cup. That win is box office for them and racing.Its like a G league player blocked Micheal Jordans winning shot attempt at the buzzer in game 7. It will never be forgotten. The horses name alone is worth a cocktail. He went by while saying did you guys see me. My name is Closer.
Been seeing a lot of questions about the tongue and the lip chain so will do my best to answer them. First off, the lip chain is going over the gum and teeth, so his tongue is not over it, it is under the chain (which you can see throughout the video). The lip chain is used to help give the grooms some added control. When used properly, which it looks like it is here, it does not cause the horse pain, it is more so sitting there as an emergency control if the horse acts up. Horses a lot of times are like children, they do not necessarily know what will and won't hurt them, so the grooms need to be able to keep them out of harm's way. I know to non-horse people (and even some horse people) it looks strange and potentially painful, but it is their to help assist in protecting the horse. Ritchie is in an unusual situation. If you saw immediately after the race, he's been known to get a little bit bitey. His handlers did not know how he was going to react to having all the people watching him, so they preemptively gave themselves more control so they could guide him out of risky scenarios had they unfolded. It turned out, in my opinion, that he handled it great and probably didn't need the help, but you still take the precaution. The chain a lot of times can also have a pacifying effect. You see him moving his mouth around and playing with it quite a bit. Just like a baby with a pacifier, sucking on it can help him remain calm and also just give him something to do while he just stands there for his pictures. Seeing a horse stick his tongue out like that is not uncommon. Some horses just feel more comfortable keeping it out like that. During races, many horses have their tongues tied down to help keep their airways open and prevent displacement of the soft palate, but some like running with their tongue sticking out the side of their mouth (like a dog in a moving car). There is nothing in his mouth forcing him to keep his tongue out, he is choosing to do that either because it's more comfortable or just because he likes it. That's the easiest way I can try to explain it. I know there's a lot of non-horse people here asking questions, and to you all I say welcome! I hope Ritchie got you excited and enjoying the Derby and racing. I am sure there will be people that respond to this comment with all sorts of other theories, "proof" and "experience" to argue what I have said, so you can believe what you want. However, through my experience and schooling, this is the best way I can explain what is going on. The chain is there for the benefit of the horse's safety. It doesn't look like it is causing him any pain, but even if it is causing him slight discomfort in the moment, it is still helping to keep him safe. Thank you all for watching and I hope you're cheering on Ritchie in the Belmont on June 11th!
@@mrvjn3 I'll give him credit, though - in the post race interview he took it like a champ. Very gracious about the loss. Me? If my Derby favorite had just lost by a whisker to a $30K claimer, I'd be headed for the bar.
@@yvonneleslie7681 I did not know that! Explains a lot. Mine That Bird remained my second favorite race to visit, behind Secretariat of course, but now there's a new contender for second favorite lol.
Trainer had the confidence following his last four runs. In all those outings the horse was finishing with a burst of speed to be at the board. So trainer took a chance in the last minute which paid.
That horse is a champion.. he is on top of his game and is looking forward to becoming quite possibly the most talked about horse ever. This is great. I'm happy for all of the team.. best race I've seen probably ever. My mom passed away a little over 4 years ago and we would watch the Kentucky derby together for the last 20 or so. Today she missed a good one she would have loved. On mother's day of all days.. Love you Mom..
So is that not unusual? I’m so relieved to hear that if so! I thought maybe his tongue was injured. Glad to know it may be one of this beauties ‘traits’❤️❤️
Thank you, again. That was surprisingly Zen after Saturday’s excitement. I am sure I am one of millions wishing Rich Strike,all the best. Jerry Dixon Jr. sure has a way with him. I hope he can travel on to the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
HE IS A VERY CALM AND TALL GUY.SEEMS CURIOUS AT ALL THE FUSS.MAY GODS BLESSINGS FOLLOW HIM ALL OF CAREER ON AND OFF THE TRACK.ITS A HARD LIFE.I GREW UP AT THE TRACK.I HOPE THEY DO NOT OVER RACE HIM.BUT RESPECT HIM.
