Derby winner will not run Preakness
Rich Strike will not run in the Preakness after his major upset to win the Kentucky Derby, keeping horse racing from having a Triple Crown winner for a fourth consecutive year.
Owner Rich Dawson made the stunning announcement Thursday, 10 days before the race in Maryland.
Dawson said he and trainer Eric Reed agreed to stick with the initial plan for Rich Strike and rest him for five weeks. Rich Strike, at 80-1, was the biggest long shot to win the Derby in more than a century. Only Donerail in 1913 paid more to win.
The plan now is to have Rich Strike ready to run in the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 11. Dawson said it was wise for the colt to get extra rest and not face a short, two-week turnaround at Pimlico.
“It’s very, very tempting to alter our course and run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group,” Dawson said in a news release. “However, after much discussion and consideration … we are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for Ritchie.
“We thank the wonderful Preakness and Pimlico folks that have reached out and very much appreciate the invite.”
NFL TOP PICK WALKER SIGNING $37.4M CONTRACT WITH JAGUARS »
No. 1 overall draft pick Travon Walker and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms on a fouryear, $37.4 million contract that includes a $24.4 million signing bonus.
Walker’s deal is fully guaranteed and includes a team option for a fifth year, both standard for NFL first-round picks. He’s expected to sign the deal later Thursday, one day before the Jaguars begin a rookie minicamp.
He’s the 10th firstrounder from the 2022 draft under contract, including four of the first six selections. He will count $6.8 million against the team’s salary cap this fall.
The Georgia pass rusher rose up draft boards following an impressive combine and landed in Jacksonville to play opposite 2018 Pro Bowl alternate Josh Allen.
Golf STEVE STRICKER OPENS WITH 65 TO TAKE REGIONS TRADITION LEAD »
Steve Stricker shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez and Wes Short Jr. after the opening round of the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.
Stricker, the 2019 champion, closed his bogey-free round with a birdie on No. 18 at Greystone Golf & Country Club. Jimenez, the 2018 winner, started on the 10th tee and broke out of a 10-player logjam at 4 under with a birdie on No. 8.
Short then joined him at 67 with a closing birdie on 18, his sixth along with one bogey.
Rugby US TO HOST MEN’S AND WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD
CUPS FOR FIRST TIME » Rugby’s biggest tournament is finally heading to the United States.
Now comes the hard part for the sport’s leadership: Generating enough interest and sustainability to secure rugby’s place in a crowded U.S. market.
The Rugby World Cup will be staged in the U.S. for the first time after being voted as the host of the men’s event in 2031 and the women’s tournament two years later.
It marks rugby’s first attempt to move into the wider American sporting consciousness and unlock what World Rugby regards as untapped potential.