The air at Churchill Downs was filled with a quiet anticipation as trainer Eric Reed stood by the stall of Rich Strike. This chestnut colt, with a coat like burnished copper, was the epitome of a feel-good story, a horse plucked from the also-eligible list just a day before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. At 57, Reed, a lifelong horseman, was about to saddle his first Derby starter, a moment he had dared to dream of but deemed too audacious to expect a win. Yet, he knew his horse was capable of a strong performance. “If you don’t swing for the fences, what are you even doing in this business?” Reed mused. For 32 hours and 49 minutes, the racing world would question his belief, but Derby Day dawned with a different narrative. Learn more about horse training methods.
Rich Strike, affectionately known as “Ritchie” around the barn, was sent off at staggering odds of 80-1. But horses, as the saying goes, can’t read the tote board. On his remarkable journey from last to first, Rich Strike showcased the latent talent Reed had sensed, displaying it for the world to see. Watching the race unfold from the paddock, Reed, overcome with emotion, collapsed to his knees. He recalled Rich Strike cutting to the inside at the head of the stretch, and then, in his words, “I passed out.”
The victory was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for a man whose heart has always belonged to the sport. Growing up as the son of veteran trainer Herbert Reed, who remained a constant presence throughout the post-race celebrations, Eric dedicated his life to a profession that is as beautiful as it is cruel, a game that is heart-breaking, exhilarating, humbling, exhausting, rewarding, and thrilling.
“He’s been going to the track with me since he was 6 years old, and that’s no bull,” his father recalled. Herbert remembered his son’s early dedication, noting that by age 8, Eric could expertly apply a spider bandage, a skill many seasoned professionals might not even know. “He said, ‘I know what I want to do. I’m not going to college; I’m going to train horses,'” Herbert shared. “And if you find something you love to do, you never work. And he found something he loved to do, and he’s good at it.”
Eric Reed fondly remembered his father’s early trust: “‘My dad gave me two horses and said, ‘You want to be a trainer? Here’s two horses. You’re a trainer,”’ Reed remembered with a grin. “And I’ve never called a person in my life and asked them to train a horse, ever. So every horse that I got was from referral or somebody that just wanted to give me a chance.”
Before Saturday, Eric Reed was largely unknown. His sole graded stakes victory prior to the Derby was with Satans Quick Chick in the 2009 Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. He even came close to upsetting the legendary Zenyatta with Rinterval in the 2010 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1). “We’ve won a graded stakes—now two,” he added with a laugh.
Reed and his wife, Kay, whose family also had a deep connection to horse racing—her great uncle Charlie Kurtsinger famously rode War Admiral to Triple Crown victory in 1937—persevered through numerous challenges. Their resilience was profoundly tested in 2016 when a tragic barn fire claimed the lives of 23 of their horses. “The next morning when we saw the devastation—because this happened in the middle of the night—I just thought of all the years and all the stuff we had done to get this beautiful farm,” Reed recounted of his Mercury Equine Center. “And to have this happen, that something might be telling me it’s the end of the line… (But) my best friends were there in the morning to pick me up. And about the third or fourth day when people started showing up from states that didn’t know who I was, they just saw the story—it let me know there’s so much good out there.” He received support from fellow trainers, who offered assistance and encouraged him not to give up. This support network was crucial in his decision to continue in the sport.
Eric Reed hoists the Kentucky Derby trophy.
In the aftermath of Rich Strike’s stunning victory, Reed acknowledged that the public’s skepticism was logical. “Small trainer, small rider, small stable,” he stated. “He should have been 80-1. But I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve had some really nice horses. And we knew what we had. I’m not telling you by any means we knew we had a Derby winner… (but) we knew we had a horse that was capable of running good.” Owner Rick Dawson corroborated this, describing Reed as someone who “easily undersells and overperforms.” Dawson recalled asking Reed about their Derby chances, to which Eric responded with a cautious “Maybe.” “Well, let’s get the calendar out, find the first Saturday in May, and back up from there,” Dawson said. “…and Eric was incredibly calm and convincing… and so I trusted Eric to always tell me the truth. Sometimes that wasn’t good news, but I knew it was always the truth, and I can deal with that. That’s the relationship we’ve built, and here we are.” Rich Strike’s triumph serves as a powerful testament to the unpredictable nature of horse racing and the enduring spirit of those who dedicate their lives to it.
