Eric Reed (horse trainer)

Eric Reed (born 1963 or 1964)[1] is an American horse trainer. He is best known as the former trainer of Rich Strike, the winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby.[2]

Eric Reed
Born1963 or 1964 (age 59–60)[1]
Career wins1,445+ (ongoing)
Major racing wins
American Classics wins:
Significant horses
Rich Strike, Satans Quick Chick

Early life

Reed's father, trainer Herbert Reed, was 16 years old when Eric was born.[1] His father Herbert trained for over 40 years apprenticing under the guidance of Mack Miller. Eric has trained since 1983. [3]

Career

In 1986, Native Drummer provided Reed his first stakes win in the Forego Stakes at Latonia.[4][5][6][7]

Reed is the owner of the Mercury Equine Center, a 60-acre thoroughbred training facility in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2016, a fire ravaged the center, killing dozens of horses. Reed believed that a lightning strike was the cause. [8]

Rich Strike closed at 80-1 odds before the start of the 2022 Derby, the longest odds among all 20 horses. With Rich Strike's win, Reed won his first Kentucky Derby.[9] This win in 2022 makes for the biggest underdog champion since the 1913 Kentucky Derby. With odds of 91–1, winning horse Donerail is the longest odds winner in Kentucky Derby history.

One year after Rich Strike's Kentucky Derby it was announced that Reed had entered into an agreement with Omaha Productions, a production company headed by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, for an Amazon Prime documentary about his training career. RED-TR Racing's Rick Dawson, owner of Rich Strike, took issue with what he claimed to be portions of promotional material released containing some of the horse's story, which he said he owned the trademark and rights to. On May 11, 2023, Reed quit as the trainer of Rich Strike and all RED-TR Racing horses in his care after receiving what he interpreted to be an ultimatum from Dawson, telling him to choose either the documentary or the horse. In the end, Reed said that he wanted to do what was best for his family, while Dawson said he felt obligated to protect Rich Strike's legacy.[10]

References
  1. "Maryland Jockey Club Press Office". 9 May 2022.
  2. "Ethereal Road out of Kentucky Derby 2022, replaced by Rich Strike". 6 May 2022.
  3. "Here Are the 2022 Kentucky Derby Post Positions".
  4. Drape, Joe (7 May 2022). "Rich Strike, 80-1 Long Shot, Wins Kentucky Derby in Stunning Upset". The New York Times.
  5. "When is Kentucky Derby 2022: Time, start, post positions, race distance, date, full coverage". 7 May 2022.
  6. "Kentucky Derby day recap: 80-1 longshot Rich Strike wins and more from Churchill Downs".
  7. "2022 Kentucky Derby odds, betting strategy, cheat sheet: Surprising picks by expert who nailed prep races".
  8. "Fire in Ky. horse barn kills dozens of animals". USATODAY. December 6, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  9. "2022 Kentucky Derby winner: Rich Strike (80-1) scores massive upset as biggest underdog champion since 1913".
  10. King, Byron (11 May 2023). "Reed Quits as Rich Strike's Trainer Amid Film Conflict". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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