Horses to win Kentucky Derby and Preakness: Rich Strike has chance to join exclusive company

Rich Strike pulled off one of the most improbable wins in Kentucky Derby history.

The horse was not officially in the race until the day before the start. At 80-1, he was the longest shot in the field and the second-longest shot all time to win. And he had a long way to go to reach the front and pass the two horses that were favored to win the race.

The overhead view makes Rich Strike's comeback for the upset @KentuckyDerby win look even more incredible. 😮 #KyDerby | @ChurchillDowns pic.twitter.com/iDfkGVZS0O

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 8, 2022

Now trainer Eric Reed has to decide whether Rich Strike will run the Preakness Stakes on May 21. The 3-year-old colt automatically qualified for the race as the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

MORE: Full results, finish order & highlights from the 2022 Kentucky Derby

If Rich Strike races in and wins the Preakness, he will join a select group of horses to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown ahead of the Belmont Stakes.

Horses to win Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes

In the 147 previous runnings of the Kentucky Derby, only 36 horses went on to win the Preakness Stakes. Thirteen of those horses went on to win the Triple Crown, while the other 23 came up short at the Belmont.

The last two horses to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown — Justify and American Pharoah — each went on to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont.

Here's the list of horses that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown but came up short in the Belmont.

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Rich Strike is still a long ways from winning the Triple Crown, but he is the only horse that could add himself to the list in 2022. Of the 13 horses to accomplish the feat, just two have done it since 1978.