Theirs is a tale of horse racing in the purest sense, if you will, the kind forged on a small farm more in keeping with the simplicity of the backside than the glitz and glamour of the front side. No, Rich Strike and his entire entourage - his trainer, his jockey, his owner - none of them is supposed to be here, on horse racing’s grandest stage, their paths to the winner’s circle more improbable than even the 80-to-1 odds that Rich Strike paid. 21 because the horse wasn’t supposed to be in the Derby - and not just in the small, immediate sense that he was an also-eligible added 34 hours before post time, and only after another horse scratched. The starting gate for the Kentucky Derby includes 20 spaces.
