'An incredible story': The Manitoba connection to the Kentucky Derby winner
Rich Strike, the horse who shocked the world with his Kentucky Derby win this weekend, has a special familial connection to Manitoba.
According to Darren Dunn, CEO of Assiniboia Downs, Rich Strike’s mom, named Gold Strike, is from Manitoba.
“The mother of the Kentucky Derby winner was born and bred in Manitoba. She began her racing career at Assiniboia Downs,” he said in an interview on Sunday.
Dunn noted he used to announce races for Gold Strike, noting she won a couple of races here in Manitoba.
“She went on to Woodbine, where she turned into an elite filly. [She] won the Woodbine Oaks, the top three-year-old filly race in Canada, ran third in the Queen’s Plate,” he said.
Dunn said the horse ultimately became a brood mare.
“Who would have guessed that she would go on to be the mother of a Kentucky Derby winner?” he said “That is just an incredible story.”
On Saturday, Rich Strike, an 80-1 longshot, won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race.
Dunn described the win as jaw dropping.
“Shocker. Incredible rally, and a real rags to riches story. So happy for the people connected,” he said.
Dunn said he knew of Rich Strike’s Manitoba connection before Saturday’s race, but thought it was unlikely he would end up racing, let alone win.
“It wasn’t supposed to go into the race, but if a horse scratched out of the main body of 20 that were originally put together as the field, if one of them came out, this horse would be able to come,” he explained.
“Sure enough on Friday at the last minute one came out, freed up a spot, Rich Strike was in the race.”
- With files from CTV’s Danny Halmarson and The Associated Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.