Fact check: False claim that Kentucky Derby winner rejected White House invite is a years old joke

Ana Faguy

The claim: Kentucky Derby winner Sonny Leon turned down a White House invitation and said, “If I wanted to see a horse’s ass, I would have came in second”

Viewers across the world watched the second-biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history, as Rich Strike surged from the pack late to win the 148th running of the storied race.

A day later social media users began sharing a post that said Sonny Leon, the jockey for Rich Strike, "turned down a White House invitation and said, 'If I wanted to see a horse's ass, I would have came in second.'"

The May 8 Facebook post accrued 14,000 shares in 24 hours.

But Leon said no such thing. This is a years-old joke that has circulated to mock both President Joe Biden and his predecessor.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

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Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, wins the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, wins the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Quote dates to at least 2018

This same quote has appeared regularly after various horse races in recent years.

This time last year, USA TODAY debunked the claim when the quote began circulating on social media about the jockey for 2021 Derby winner Medina Spirit.

It appeared to originate from a 2018 joke posted on Reddit. That post in r/Jokes attributes the fabricated quote to the horse: “In breaking news, triple Crown winner Justify has turned down an invitation to White House. When asked why he answered, ‘If i wanted to see a horse’s ass, i would have finished second.”

Since the 2018 Reddit post, a version of the quote, often including the president at the time, has appeared on social media after various other races as well. Last year, a version of the claim referenced a trip to see former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago rather than the White House.

But there's no record of this year's winner, Leon, saying any such thing after the early May race.

Jeff Johnston, regional manager at The Jockeys Guild, told USA TODAY "(Leon) would never say anything like this."

The press release from Churchill Downs included one quote from Leon: “You know we had a difficult post but I know the horse. I didn’t know if he could win but I had a good feeling with him. I had to wait until the stretch and that’s what I did. I waited and then the rail opened up. I wasn’t nervous, I was excited. Nobody knows my horse like I know my horse.”

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Leon turned down a White House invitation and said, “If I wanted to see a horse’s ass, I would have came in second.” This is a quote that has appeared online multiple times in the past few years after various horse races and appears to date back to a 2018 joke posted on Reddit.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that Derby winner rejected White House invite

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