Reed Follows Own Program for Rich Strike Into Belmont

Seven of the eight competitors in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) have kept to a fairly standard weekly workout schedule leading up to the 1 1/2-mile race, recording their final breezes over a three-day period from June 4-6.

Trainer Eric Reed chose to do things a little differently with Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Rich Strike . He spaced out the Keen Ice   colt's two works leading into the race, recording the first at Churchill Downs May 21, and the second and final one there May 30, 12 days removed from the Belmont. The RED TR-Racing-owned 3-year-old went a half-mile in :47 1/5 in the first drill, followed by a :59 five-furlong move the second time, coming during the afternoon hours between races at Churchill.

Rich Strike's training over the past week at Belmont Park has been compromised of routine gallops and jogs.

Well, most days. When Rich Strike took to the Belmont main track June 7, he essentially galloped at faster than a two-minute pace, with Daily Racing Form timing his final three furlongs at near workout speed of :40.48. Reed then called June 8 for easy training under exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes, which is likely to continue into the race.

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"I train a big diversity of horses that you can't just work them every six or seven days. I'm kind of in the habit of training a horse to their own needs, anyway," Reed said. "Once I picked up on what made him happy, he really started to get better in his training and his races picked up. Just the way to do it.

"He likes to have that really good work. He'll tell us when we're not doing enough. Sometimes I'll take it easy on him and he'll give us a simple reminder when he comes off the track, standing on his hind legs, like, 'You didn't do enough.' We never try to make him go any certain speed, and every once and a while he'll do what he did yesterday. We'll let him go for a little bit, but not for the whole way."

WATCH: Reed Shares Thoughts on Belmont, Training of Rich Strike

Rich Strike received chiropractic care leading up to the Belmont, Reed said. Reed previously told Thoroughbred Daily News that Rich Strike was on the veterinarian's list in Kentucky late last month for such treatment. Rich Strike has since been removed from that list, which notes horses ineligible to run for a period of time for a variety of reasons, including for unsoundness or after certain treatments.

Chiropractic work is done on a lot of Reed's horses, the trainer said.

"He's a real muscular horse. So we work on his muscles and so forth, just basic stuff," he noted.

Rich Strike has looked every bit as good this week as he did in his training before the Derby. It's the makeup of the Belmont field that gives Reed pause with his late runner.

The furious pace that unfolded in the Derby is unlikely to materialize in the Belmont, which has only one apparent speed horse in We the People . Despite the race's lengthy distance, speed horses have often been difficult to catch in the stamina test, in part due to the easier fractions they can often set. Leisurely fractions are anticipated in Saturday's race.

"It's going to be real hard for us with our running style," Reed said. "He's ready to run, as ready as I can get him. He's going to have to show more interest the first part of the race, I think, to really get the job done."