Rich Strike Puts in 'Endurance' Work for BC Classic

Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Rich Strike  put in an easy move Oct. 25 at Keeneland, the day after his connections announced their intention to run in the Nov. 5 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

With Gabriel Lagunes in the irons, the 3-year-old son of Keen Ice   relaxed through five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 with a gallop out to six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 as trainer Eric Reed watched from the grandstand.

"We had to bump our schedule up because there's some rain moving in, so I had to work him a little bit different than normal," Reed said. "We kind of tricked him; we let him two-minute lick from the three-quarter pole, then let him start picking it up from there, and let him finish up down the lane a little bit but not a lot, so he went like :24, I think, the last part of the work. We're just trying to leave a little wiggle room if we need to do something more next week.

"It just was a nice, easy work, more of an endurance thing, because he put his speed work in the other day."

Coming in off a narrow runner-up finish to fellow Classic contender Hot Rod Charlie  in the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, Rich Strike will take on older horses for the second time in his career. Reed said he has seen steady mental and physical progression from the colt since his Kentucky Derby win.

"He's just gotten a lot more willing to do it our way rather than his way, especially in the workouts," he said. "There was a time where he would go :34 and :46 and we'd have to adjust a little bit of training between that and the race day. So we've been trying to easily do his works and not go quite as hard, and the gallops I've not let him gallop as strong, because it tends to just make him want to do it his way. So he's starting to do what we need him to do.

"But since the last race to this race, he's gotten a little tougher. I think Hot Rod Charlie and him, they were leaning on each other down the stretch. He's never really had a horse do that and push back so I think he learned a little bit off that too, and he'll need that against these horses."

Also on the Tuesday work tab at Keeneland were two contenders for the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1): Jackie's Warrior   in company with County Final  (five furlongs in :58 3/5, out to six furlongs in 1:12) and Aloha West  (time to come from Keeneland clockers). Jackie's Warrior is the 2021 champion male sprinter and Aloha West is the defending Breeders' Cup Sprint victor.

This story will be updated.