Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike: A longshot brings joy back to racing
LOUISVILLE — This is what the Kentucky Derby does: It rises, it falls. It elevates, it diminishes. It rewards, it punishes. It welcomes storylines but does not make promises; it exists outside the whims and wants of bureaucrats and rulers. It pays homage only to the result. This is also what the Derby does: It makes us laugh, cry, cringe. It makes us thrilled or gutted. Sometimes it makes us squirm. And most of all, the Derby cares not in the least which of these emotions it evokes. There is no man behind the curtain. There are just 1 ¼ miles on the first Saturday in May, first to the line gets roses, no matter whom.
