Jockey, trainer help long-shot Rich Strike in Derby upset
By GARY B. GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jockey Sonny Leon and trainer Eric Reed hit the ground running in every way imaginable for the Kentucky Derby. Rich Strike did both one better after his last-minute Derby entry, blowing past 80-1 odds and then Epicenter and Zandon in the stretch Saturday for one of the biggest upsets in Derby history. Rich Strike made it look so easy at the end that the biggest challenge for Leon and Reed was getting their minds around winning the sport’s marquee event on their very first try. Nobody saw Rich Strike coming, figuratively or literally. Nor could they do anything about him.