Still marveling at Rich Strike’s run

In the little more than two minutes it took to finish Saturday’s 148th running of the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike became legend and metaphor.

Horse racing is called the “Sport of Kings,” but a chestnut-colored pauper sneaked onto the majestic turf of Churchill Downs and claimed the crown and the treasure of the kingdom.

An 80-1 underdog who wasn’t entered in the race until the day before, Rich Strike became the improbable winner, the second-longest shot to win the Derby. But it’s the way he won, dramatically barreling from the back of the pack on horse racing’s biggest stage, that will forever make his victory memorable.

As everyone watched the two favorites, Epicenter and Zandon, battle down the stretch, the finish line rapidly approaching, another horse appeared from nowhere, on the inside, closing in on the front-runners and then surging past them.

But it’s the aerial view of the race that captures the magnitude and brilliance of Rich Strike and his jockey, Sonny Leon.

Coming around the final turn, Rich

Strike is in 17th place among the 20horse field, doing better than should be expected for a a last-minute replacement. Except that Rich Strike doesn’t know that.

He steadily moves past another horse until he’s blocked by a wall of horses. Patient, he waits for an opening and proceeds to race past other horses as he moves toward the inside rail. By then, he’s in eighth place, but he’s become unstoppable.

Rich Strike is in fifth place when Leon guides him right between the fourth- and third-place horses. Now in third place, Rich Strike rockets past Epicenter and Zandon, finally catching the attention of the announcer who, seconds before the race ends, exclaims, “Rich Strike is coming up on the inside! Oh, my goodness! The longest shot has won the Kentucky Derby!”

It was an astonishing and inspiring performance of heart and athleticism. A horse, not knowing he was just there to fill a space, kept running, and running, and running until the race was over and victory was his.

It’s not where you start that counts but where you end up. Especially if you do it with style.