It's thrilling to bet on a longshot and win at the Kentucky Derby, Hosted by Woodford Reserve! Especially if you bet at odds of 80-1 on the result Rich Strike (Keen Ice – Gold Strike, by Smart Strike).
William Austin Nicks, 27, of Indiana, got the trifecta and won $14,800 on a $24 bet! That would bring joy to anyone. However, a series of extraordinary events turned the Kentucky Derby into a life-changing race for him!
He got a call from a buddy who had had some mares for him the Monday before the Derby. Gold Strike was one of the mares he was given. When Nicks checked up her lineage, he discovered that Rich Strike, her 3-year-old colt, was an "also-eligible" Kentucky Derby contender. "I got her later Wednesday night," says the narrator. He had no intention of attending the Derby at the time.
When Ethereal Road was scratched on Friday, Rich Strikes made it into the Derby with minutes to spare before the deadline. Nicks was now scrambling to secure a Derby ticket. He was thrilled about the race since he had optimism in his heart and had put his bets.
Nicks' fiancée, Becca Hellinger, uploaded a snapshot of him on Facebook fifteen minutes after the horses left the start line.
She named it "When you own the mama of the long chalk that just won the KY Derby," with one of the renowned since he was a teenager, Nicks has leased a farm in Sellersburg, Indiana. "Dad began training in 2005." I've been breeding for ten years. I was in high school then, and I had to leave early for the breeding shed." Nick is interested primarily in Thoroughbred mares. "All of my mares have been foaled." We also have Thoroughbreds that we board and raise. I'll go to Keeneland for every sale and acquire 20-30 mares. I take photos, relist them on Craigslist, and sell them. Churchill Downs Two Spires behind him. Nicks and his young mare Gold Strike were introduced to the racing world.
Gold Strike was purchased for $1,700 by a friend of his (Bloodstock agent Tommy Wente) in the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She wasn't in foal and drew little attention during the auction. Wente bought her for MC Roberts, who maintained her for a few years before giving her to Nicks (although she was still without a foal).
A group of horse enthusiasts in Canada delighted when Gold Strike's colt won the Derby. Reade Baker, a former Canadian Hall of Fame trainer, recalls her time racing for him from 2004 to 2006. She received the Sovereign Award for the best 3-year-old filly in 2005, and he received the Sovereign Award for the most pleasing trainer that year. Labatt Woodbine Oaks, Grade 3 Selene Stakes, and Grade 2 Selene Stakes were won by her.
The Buffalo Stakes is a horse race held in Buffalo, New York. She finished third among the boys in the Queen's Plate Stakes at Woodbine and open competition.
She raced nine times in total, winning four times, finishing third three times, and earning $564,500 in her career. Baker remembers her with a sense of awe and admiration. "She was a breeze to work with."
There's no problem at all. Nothing went wrong, and you always wanted to go as fast or slow as you wanted. She's the type of horse that a trainer adores. There are no headaches. It's all down to talent. Usually, those who don't have headaches don't have much talent, but she was exceptional."
Lia LeBlanc (Magi) works as a public sector lawyer for the City of Mississauga. She was the workout rider for Gold Strikes. "She was a skinny 2-year-old with enormous ears and long hair. She was stunning. She walked with a lovely, long, leisurely stride that didn't feel like she was hitting the earth.
She raced nine times in total, winning four times, finishing third three times, and earning $564,500 in her career. Baker remembers her with a sense of awe and admiration. "She was a breeze to work with." There's no problem at all. Nothing went wrong, and you always wanted to go as fast or slow as you wanted. She's the type of horse that a trainer adores. There are no headaches. It's all down to talent. Usually, those who don't have headaches don't have much talent, but she was exceptional."
Lia LeBlanc (Magi) works as a public sector lawyer for the City of Mississauga. She was the workout rider for Gold Strikes. "She was a skinny 2-year-old with huge ears and long hair. She was stunning. She walked with a lovely, long, leisurely stride that didn't feel like she was hitting the earth. James S. "Jim" McAleney, a Canadian jockey, also praises Gold Strike. "She was a wonderful mare." Extremely athletic, with a massive build. She was clever and had a great deal of etiquette. She possessed an abundance of genuine raw skill. She was lovely to ride from the standpoint of a jockey because you knew you had something underneath you. She carried herself with the utmost professionalism.
"I recall the Oaks as if it were yesterday." Everything went smoothly. I was given carte blanche to ride with complete confidence." They won by three and a half lengths.
"Reade was one of the best trainers I have had the pleasure of riding. We had excellent working relationships. We'd speak about races, but he'd leave me to ride my own. One of the joys of my career was riding for Reade."
Gold Strike was born in the year 2002. She's by Smart Strike, and she's made of Dixieland Brass' Brassy Gold. Richard Bonnycastle of Manitoba, Canada, owned and bred her. Bonnycastle's Harlequin Ranch was named after his family's publishing firm, which was known for producing love novels worldwide.
After her racing career was cut short due to injuries, Gold Strike became a broodmare in Ontario. She had five foals, including Llanarmon, a Grade 2 winner by Sky Mesa. Calumet Farm paid $230,000 for her at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale in 2015, when she was in foal to Sky Mesa.
In 2016, she was mated to Calumet's stallion Oxbow, and then in 2018, she was bred to Keen Ice (a son of Curlin's sire). Strike, the Kentucky Derby winner is her eighth foal. Calumet sold her in 2019 after she had failed to conceive since then. "When Rich Strike won the Derby, we placed her on a trailer and drove her back to Lexington," Nicks explained. She's been under the supervision of a reproductive specialist.
She is a large, attractive mare, standing 16.2 hands tall and covered in dapples. She is in excellent physical condition. It's thrilling to have the chance to try to conceive her.
Nicks shipped her to Coolmore, where she was bred to Munnings, a proven Grade 1 stud. "Munnings has had some horses running well recently, and they appear to be selling well." We went with him since he's been becoming hotter." Watershed Equine, owned by Clay and Tracey Caudill, is currently home to Gold Strike. They are experts in the field of mare care. "She is a sweet mare," Nicks says. An 'in your pocket' type is highly friendly and follows you around."
It's been suggested that the narrative of Rich Strike'sThe Derby victory could be adapted into a film. It should incorporate his dam's incredible story. Her life narrative is undoubtedly captivating, having begun on a farm named after a love novel. She had a professional prize career and got it to Kentucky's prestigious barns. Her colt Rich Strike is now a legendary longshot, but the story of the large, friendly dappled mare isn't over yet. She has all the makings of a heroine in an equestrian Harlequin novel. We'll have to wait and see. She isn't the family's only longshot.
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