The only notable remarks made pre race when he was moved to the field went to what bad luck for Ethereal Road and DWL with what is likely his last Derby colt then winning the Oaks. That was a good human interest bit, nobody knew a thing about RS or his connections to put into a story overnight.
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We’ve fussed about that every year. NBC does a terrible job covering the Triple Crown compared to the job ABC did when they covered it, when Jim McKay was the face of the event. He loved the horses and their stories. NBC is all about the flash, nothing new there and it has nothing to do with rich owners and flashy trainers. They just like shiny things. Racing is the Sport of Kings. Richard Dawson paid 30K for this colt. Poor folks don’t pay 30K for a sport pet 
Just listening to the post parade reminds me how much has changed. The quality of the coverage is just not there.
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I am now down a rabbit hole…
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You know what I really hated about this years coverage. Who thinks putting not particularly eloquent Dale Jr in a lilac sport coat over light blue shirt giving him almost nothing to say and pairing him with a glib talkster dressed like a bag of lawn clippings was a good move for a prestigious sporting event?
Had me longing for Tara and Johnny….
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I am now more and more glad I was glued to Badminton all weekend and took the afternoons to work in the yard. I didn’t watch the Derby until Sunday LOL
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Dale Jr is a horrible broadcaster. And that is when he talks about NASCAR…
Johnny earned my respect for his comment on the Russian skater fiasco in Beijing.
And Tara…
I think those two are made for the red carpet events like the Derby 
Dale? ahhhhh poor fishy out of water!
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Great article. Thanks for posting it.
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My husband picked him to win. Just say’, lol. He decided to pick a longshot, and Rich Strike fit the bill.
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I also liked the trainer‘s daughter telling him, “You’re the big horse now!” That was cute.
Between the videos of him getting a bath back at the barn, and then getting a hand walk and getting his poultice taken off the next day, he certainly did not look like a ball of fire to handle. And from the body language of the people around him, they did not seem to be too concerned about him acting up, even with all the reporters and camera people nearby.
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I found the last few seconds of the Kentucky Derby interesting and a bit fun when my choice showed he had no chance of winning.
That being said, the Preakness Stakes always has a smaller field and there’s always a few fresh entries that weren’t in the Derby . I seriously doubt that Rich Strike will win it.
agreed. I won’t be surprised if Ethereal (the Derby scratch) wins it. Or the filly who won the Oaks
The way this horse ran and his jockey managed thru that traffic, it would be hard to dismiss them doing well.
On the other hand, others will be trying to jinx him any way they may, they now know what he can do.
It would be nice for racing if he was able to run and win next two TC races … especially if there is no more funny stuff like trying to eat other horses. 
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I remember when Matz was in the plane crash in 1991. Two articles;
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1991-02-21-9101090836-story.html
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I am not a racing expert by any means, but I cannot imagine how anyone could not be impressed by “Richie’s” Derby performance (during the race). And by the way his jockey guided him through the pack. Kudos to his team for believing in him.
And although I am certainly not impressed by his antics after the race, I sort of understand. He was still amped up and full of adrenaline and still in “fight mode.” And he highly resented being caught up like that, which is something that apparently had never happened to him before.
Also, FWIW, I saw an article somewhere - can’t remember where - that mentioned he has always seemed a little bit afraid of other horses and has long had an intense dislike of “ponies” (not sure if they were referring to actual ponies, or track “ponies”). At any rate, if he doesn’t win the Preakness or Belmont, he will be allowed to gallop out like he is used to doing. So with no catch rider trying to get hold of him, there won’t be anymore horse-or-man-eating behavior on nationwide TV. Right?
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Secret Oath, by Arrogate? She’s good.
No one is “coming after” you.
I would have been happy if NBC had covered any horses well. They completely ignored the races leading up to the Derby. The whole broadcast treated horses as an afterthought.
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The piece by Steve Haskins, posted upthread, does a great job of bringing Rich Strike and his humans into focus.
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This interview with the trainer was from Saturday before the race.
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Hahahaha coming from you, that’s high praise. Just mute me and move on.
So did my stepmother!
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