“Very Hard-Earned Dream”: After Spending Whopping $1,300,000, Race Horse Owner Sets Sights on Kentucky Derby Success

The 2023 Kentucky Derby is almost here. Forte, the pre-race favorite, has been in the spotlight for the last month because of his dominant performances in his final races leading up to the Derby. However, Tapit Trice’s recent success in a Grade 1 race shows that it won’t be easy for the pre-race favorite to win the Derby. Amanda Pope paid a stunning $1.3 million for her horse, Tapit Trice, and has high hopes for the 3-year-old colt.

According to a report published recently by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Pope has always been optimistic about her investment and hopes to win the Derby with her new horse. And her faith in Tapit Trice has been bolstered by the horse’s recent victory in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Gr. 1).

High expectations for the Kentucky Derby

Tapit Trice’s adventure got off to a rocky start as he finished third in the Maiden Special Weight event at Aqueduct in his debut. Since then, though, the colt has won every race he’s entered, to the astonishment of the spectators. As the Derby draws near, Pope says, “I’m very excited. The Derby is a dream, a very hard-earned dream.” She is looking forward to the Derby and hopes that her horse has a strong race. Trainer Todd A. Pletcher, who has amassed a fortune of $458,194,032, has been responsible for the colt’s development. The horse is a formidable opponent for the pre-race favorite, Forte, having won four of its past five races. With her father’s legacy on the line, Pope is eagerly anticipating Derby Day.

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Winning the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 1) at Keeneland added to the horse’s already considerable success and had everybody extremely enthusiastic. Grade 1 races are serious business because of how much prestige is at stake. Pope’s racing manager, Todd Quast, did assure her that the horse was ready for the 2023 Kentucky Derby because of his stellar performance in high-level races and training. According to Yahoo! News, if Tapit Trice were to win the Derby, he would get a $1 million windfall, adding to his current earnings of $883,650.

The list of victorious horses is long and includes underdogs that have never won a Grade 1 race. Forte may have better numbers than Tapit Trice, but that doesn’t mean the colt won’t try his hardest to beat the odds-on favorite in the race.

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