Rich Strike to stand at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions
Rich Strike, winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby, is being relocated to Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions LLC in Stillwater, New York, to start the 2025 breeding season.
The 6-year-old son of the Curlin stallion Keen Ice has been purchased by a group that includes his former trainer, Eric Reed, longtime owner Ken Tyson, and Jamie LaMonica, head of the Kentucky-based The Stallion Company bloodstock agency. Rich Strike will stand his initial season for an introductory fee of $6,500 S&N.
Officially retired last fall, Rich Strike earned $2,526,809 during his career. Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Rich Strike achieved his most notable victory in the Kentucky Derby. In a rail-skimming trip in the first jewel of the Triple Crown, he rallied from 15th at the quarter pole to score by three-quarters of a length over subsequent Grade 1 winner and champion 3-year-old male Epicenter.
“It was originally contemplated to start Rich Strike’s stallion career at Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions, however the deal fell through,” LaMonica said. “When Rich Strike moved to Mountain Spring Farm in Pennsylvania, our new ownership group circled back and made a pitch to get involved with the horse. Everyone at Mountain Spring Farm has been great to work with, but the new ownership group has a stronger relationship with New York than Pennsylvania and we felt that Rich Strike has a better opportunity in New York. With the reconstruction of Belmont Park, we thought it would be beneficial to a stallion that has the pedigree to thrive on all three surfaces—dirt, synthetic and turf.”
In addition to his Derby win, Rich Strike finished a close second to Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs and was third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks over the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park. Rich Strike is produced from the Grade 3 winner and 2005 Canadian Champion Gold Strike, a daughter of prominent broodmare sire Smart Strike. Gold Strike is also the dam of Grade 2 winner Llanarmon and the granddam of Grade 1-placed and multiple Grade 3 winner Neecie Marie.
“New York breeders are sophisticated and informed, so they understand Rich Strike is a grandson of Curlin and out of a champion mare,” said Irish Hill Century’s Rick Burke. “He should fit a lot of the mare population both genetically and physically. I was able to inspect Rich Strike when we were negotiating the first time around and was really impressed by his good looks and presence. I am looking forward to showing off the Kentucky Derby winner to New York breeders. I think they will really like him.”
For more information on Rich Strike, contact Rick Burke at (518) 584-1515.
Original article by NYTBreeders.org
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