Rich Strike will miss Ky. Cup Classic after 'non-serious issue'
Rich Strike will not race in Saturday's Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park as planned because of "a very non-serious issue," his owner, Rick Dawson, said in a Facebook post Tuesday.
He said the next race for the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner could be on April 22 in a Grade 2 stakes at Oaklawn or a Grade 3 at Keeneland.
Stakes Schedule | Stakes Tracker | Stakes Results
"Richie galloped today at Mercury Training Center after a few days off the track," Dawson said in his post. "He looked great & worked very well."
Dawson and trainer Eric Reed had pointed Rich Strike to the Kentucky Cup Classic after deciding against a start in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup on March 25.
In a February Facebook post, he said the 4-year-old colt, last seen finishing sixth in the Clark (G1) in November, would stay in the U.S. and race five or six times if he remains sound and healthy.
Rich Strike is 0-for-5 since winning the Kentucky Derby. In his last published work, he went four furlongs in 49.00 seconds at Turfway on Wednesday.