[12][13] Originally trained by Joe Sharp, Rich Strike made his first start on August 15, 2021, in a maiden special weight race at one mile over the turf at Ellis Park.
[16] Rich Strike made his final start of the year on December 26 in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.
[17] Rich Strike made his three-year-old debut on January 22, 2022, in the Leonatus Stakes over the all weather surface at Turfway Park in Kentucky.
"[6] He turned in a similar performance on March 5 in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, also at Turfway Park, this time finishing fourth.
[20] The third-place finish in the Jeff Ruby gave Rich Strike 20 points on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby, which was originally short of the amount required to qualify for the race.
[22][21] Reed joked that the last-minute notification left him needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as he had just been about to enter Rich Strike in another race, the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.
"[6] The field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, held on May 6, 2022, was considered one of the deepest in recent memory as there were multiple highly regarded horses but no clear standout.
In the stretch, he was checked briefly by a tiring horse but again found racing room and launched a sustained drive to the inside of Epicenter.
[28] On 11 June, Rich Strike was entered in the Belmont Stakes and faced Todd Pletcher's pair of Mo Donegal and the filly Nest and five other horses.
"[30] The Travers Stakes on August 27 attracted a very strong field, including the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby (Rich Strike, Epicenter and Zandon), Preakness winner Early Voting and Cyberknife, who had won the Haskell in his last start.
Jockey Sonny Leon implored his mount to finish the race off with left-handed strikes in the closing sixteenth while working to maintain his balance, as his saddle may have slipped to the left.
[34] Leon was suspended 15 days by the Churchill Downs stewards for "intentionally attempting to interfere with and impede the progress of a rival by repeatedly making physical contact with another rider in the stretch".
The field consisted of Flightline, Epicenter, Rich Strike, Hot Rod Charlie, Taiba, Life is Good, Olympiad, and Happy Saver.
[36] Rich Strike ran in the Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs on Friday, November 22, 2022, on his reported favorite track for the 1 1/8 mile G1 race.
It was discovered post-race that he was quite ill. Rich Strike was treated for what trainer Eric Reed called a guttural pouch infection, and after recovery he was rested until mid-January 2023.
[37][38] Trainer Eric Reed worked on a race plan for the next year, as Rich Strike rested at a bluegrass farm at the end of 2022, and enjoyed “just being a horse”.
On May 11, 2023, a few days after the Alysheba was run, Reed announced that he quit as the trainer for Rich Strike and all horses owned by RED-TR Racing in his care.
RED-TR Racing's Rick Dawson claimed the promotional materials released about the project included parts about Rich Strike's story, which he said he owned the trademark and rights to.
The two ultimately disagreed on their views of the film project, with Dawson saying that he felt obligated to protect Rich Strike's legacy, and Reed saying that he wanted to do what was best for his family.
Dawson later withdrew Rich Strike from the sale, however, saying that his colt would continue to undergo light training at Margaux Farm in Kentucky.
"[44] In December 2024, Daily Racing Form reported that Dawson was looking to secure a domestic stud deal for Rich Strike for the 2025 breeding season.
[45] Later that month, The Blood-Horse reported that a deal was pending to have Rich Strike enter stud at Mountain Springs Farm in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.
* Rich Strike is inbred 4S x 4S to the stallion Deputy Minister, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice on the sire side of his pedigree.