'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kentucky Derby 2022 winner Rich Strike left viewers in awe of his win at 80-1 odds. The horse was not scheduled to participate until two weeks ago and shocked everyone when he zoomed past the favorites, Epicenter and Zandon. He became the second-biggest longshot to win the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown.
However, after finishing the race, the horse started getting aggressive and even bit another horse.
Rich Strike got punched for biting a horse
Video from NBC Sports' broadcast shows Churchill Downs outrider Greg Blasi and jockey Sonny Leon having trouble controlling the horse after the race. The horse is biting and nipping at the lead pony's neck and reins. Blasi tried his best to maintain control of the animal and even punched him a few times.
On being asked about the incident, Rich Strike trainer Eric Reed shared his viewpoint on the incident, he told a news channel:
"The outrider's job at the end of a race is to help get the leading horse and get him slowed down, take him around (and) let (the jockey) do the interview,"
He added that the horse might have confused the outrider's pony as an opponent and wanted to run past him. He explained:
"Richie, he was in killer mode. He was going to outrun every horse on the track and he did not have a horse after the finish line came over to him, so when he saw that pony coming his way, he thought he had another horse to beat and he was trying to run by him.
He provided some insight into why Rich Strike exhibited such behavior and commended the outriders on doing their job. He said:
"The man did his job. He reached out and grabbed ahold of the horse, and it made the horse mad. He didn't know he was trying to help him. He thought he was supposed to outrun that horse, and he bit the guy's leg terribly — bit his arm a couple, really bad bites. The horse is not a mean horse. He was just in race mode and he didn't understand why they were grabbing him to slow him down."
He continued by apologizing for the injuries sustained by the riders:
"That man saved my horse from injury because, had he got up in the air and lost my rider, he could have got loose. I'm sorry for the injuries sustained."
Reed also expects Rich Strike to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown on May 21 in Baltimore.
However, not everyone was on the same page as Reed; people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a statement saying it plans to file a complaint against Blasi for animal abuse.
