“You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.”
~ Donald Cerrone
Thirty seconds before the deadline entry of the Kentucky Derby, Ethereal Road was pulled from the race at Churchill Downs. His owner did not feel that the horse was as focused and sharp as he needed to be to compete. Since Rich Strike had placed 21st in the qualifying round, he now had the chance to race. Owner, Rick Dawson, received the call and accepted the invitation.
Facts:
As a 2-year-old colt, Rich Strike finished last in his first race and was sold to a man who had missed out on buying another horse he wanted to purchase.
Rich Strike was bought for $30,000 last fall and raced against horses that were bought for 2o times that amount.
Rich Strike won a race by 17 lengths and then continued to place either third, fourth, or fifth.
Sonny Leon, the jockey, had never won a graded stakes race.
Neither the owner, trainer, or jockey had every been associated with any horse in the Kentucky Derby.
This was the first starter and Kentucky Derby rider for Eric Reed, since a barn fire claimed 23 horses and equipment 6 years ago.
Rich Strike had the second longest shot in Kentucky Derby history with 80-1 odds. The longest odds went to Donerail at 91-1, the winner in 1913.
Rich Strike had no idea any of this mattered so he just ran.
Kentucky Derby Race:
~ Rich Strike started the race from gate 20, the furthest starting position from the inside rail.
~ As the race began, Leon immediately started moving toward the inside rail.
~ Rich Strike was in 17th place down the backstretch.
~ At the halfway mark Rich Strike was 16 horses back from the lead horse.
~ Weaving in and out of openings, Rich Strike moves up to fourth place!
~ Two seconds before the Finish Line, Rich Strike passes the two front-runners to win the 2022 Kentucky Derby!
Lessons to Consider:
* Staying ready helps you seize the opportunity when it comes.
* Never give up.
* Any horse/person/team can win on any given day.
* Opportunities can come as quickly as disappointments.
* Doing your personal best makes a difference.
* Concentrate on the things you do have and not on what you wish you had.
* Past failures do not have to define you.
* A race position, number, or other people’s opinions don’t determine your value or chances in life.
When going for a Triple Crown win, the logical decision was for Reed to enter Rich Strike to run in the Preakness in two weeks. Realizing his horse does not have the running style for that race, plus needing additional time for training, he chose his horse’s best interests over his own. The team will now concentrate on readying Rich Strike for the Belmont.
Even horse races can teach life lessons of the importance of being prepared, seizing opportunities, and doing your best, whether the odds are against you or not. And sometimes it’s important to forego the good in order to prepare for and attempt the best.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1
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