By Bill Finley
Acknowledging that Rich Strike (Keen Ice) will soon be “officially” retired,” owner Rick Dawson said Thursday that he has been talking to stallion farms in both Kentucky and New York and hopes to strike a deal shortly so that his 2022 GI Kentucky Derby winner will be available for the upcoming breeding season.
“The only reason I haven't officially announced his retirement is that I'm waiting to come to an agreement for stallion rights,” Dawson said “Then I can do it all at once, make the announcement that he has been retired and that he's going to stand at XYZ farm. But for all intents and purposes he has been retired.”
Following the stunning victory at 80-1 in the Derby, nothing has gone right for the now 5-year-old. He failed to win in six tries after the Derby and was beaten by 16 3/4 lengths in what will be his last career start, the 2023 GII Alysheba Stakes. It was later discovered that he was battling tendon issues in his front legs.
Dawson sent the horse to Margaux Farm to recover from the injury with the intent of bringing him back to the races. He also fired trainer Eric Reed, over a dispute involving the rights to a movie about Reed and Rich Strike, and turned him over to Bill Mott.
He made progress under Mott's care, working four times at Saratoga for the Hall of Fame trainer.
Rich Strike owner Rick Dawson with the Derby trophy | Coady Photography
“He came close to running again,” Dawson said. “He had four official works and Bill was real excited about his conditioning. Bill visited Rich Strike two, three months before he started training him and he was pleasantly surprised that he had not gotten fat and lazy looking. He keeps his form really nicely. He's an athlete, for sure. Bill was optimistic.”
However, after an Aug. 7 work, Mott noticed a new problem with the ligament. Dawson said the two injuries, though to the same ligament, were unrelated.
Dawson then sent Rich Strike back to Margaux Farm near Midway Kentucky and started the process of trying to make a deal with a stallion farm. The process, he said, is ongoing.
“Right now, I'm entertaining a number of stallion opportunities,” Dawson said. “Just trying to find the right spot for him. Hopefully, something will get done pretty quickly. We certainly want to make the 2025 breeding season and have an opportunity with some of the better mares. They're going to start committing pretty quickly, so we want to get into the loop. Just a few weeks ago, I thought I was within hours of getting that done and it all fell apart. That's the horse business. You think you have a deal set and then something comes up to change it.”
Dawson said his preference is that Rich Strike stands in Kentucky. New York, he said, is his second option.
“I am not interested in international markets, just because I'd like to keep him in America,” Dawson said. “It's mainly Kentucky and second would be New York. I just want to find a good spot for him. I have no interest in him covering 150 mares. But I'd like to see him cover 25 or 30 really good ones. He's going to have to build his legacy now through his offspring versus what he could do on the racetrack.”
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