In 2016, a lightning strike set fire to one of Eric Reed’s barns, taking 23 horses and nearly everything they had built.
Eric Reed, his daughter Lindsey, and their team were left to pick up the pieces—leaning on each other, their community, and the lessons Eric’s father had passed down about perseverance and doing things the right way.
They rebuilt quietly.
Six years later, one of the horses Eric trained—Rich Strike—wasn’t even supposed to be in the Kentucky Derby. He only made the field at the last minute. At 80–1 odds, he had about a 1% chance to win.
With jockey Sonny Leon aboard, and backed by owner Rick Dawson, they did the unthinkable.
They didn’t just run.
They won.
A story about loss, belief, and what can happen when you refuse to quit.
Follow @theoptimisthq for more stories like this
#inspiration #motivation #theoptimisthq #kentuckyderby
In 2016, a lightning strike set fire to one of Eric Reed’s barns, taking 23 horses and nearly everything they had built.
Eric Reed, his daughter Lindsey, and their team were left to pick up the pieces—leaning on each other, their community, and the lessons Eric’s father had passed down about perseverance and doing things the right way.
They rebuilt quietly.
Six years later, one of the horses Eric trained—Rich Strike—wasn’t even supposed to be in the Kentucky Derby. He only made the field at the last minute. At 80–1 odds, he had about a 1% chance to win.
With jockey Sonny Leon aboard, and backed by owner Rick Dawson, they did the unthinkable.
They didn’t just run.
They won.
A story about loss, belief, and what can happen when you refuse to quit.
Follow @theoptimisthq for more stories like this
#inspiration #motivation #theoptimisthq #kentuckyderby
