Rich Strike, the final horse to enter the 2022 Kentucky Derby, won the 147th running of race on May 7 as an 80-to-1 longshot from the 20th and final post position.
Epicenter came in second, and Zandon came in third, according to the Kentucky Derby.
It was one of the more incredible moments in Triple Crown history for a horse that needed a scratch to get in the race and was the last one to reach the field.
Rich Strike’s win is the biggest upset since Donerail won as a 91-1 shot in 1913.
Rich Strike defeated the pre-race favorite, Epicenter, who had some of the best speed figures in the field. Rich Strike would not have been in the field if Ethereal Road had not withdrawn from the race yesterday. Rattle N Roll was also a late scratch.
In the post-race interview, Rick Dawson, the horse’s owner, stated that he found out about 30 seconds before the entry deadline that his colt was in the field.
“Oh my God, did we just win in 2:02.6?” Dawson said, The Oklahoman reports. “I told my jockey, ‘Bring him back in 2:02.6, and we’ll win this.’ We just won in 2:02.61. Oh my God. I just saw that.”
Dawson then questioned what planet he was on.
“I feel like I have been propelled somewhere,” he said. “I’m not sure. This is unbelievable. I asked my trainer up on the stage, I said, ‘Are you sure this is not a dream? Because it can’t be true.’ He assured me this is real. I said OK.”
Rich Strike’s second career victory comes in his eighth start, only one of which was a stakes race. Strike’s only other win came on September 17, 2021, in the fifth race at Churchill Downs. He was ridden by jockey Sonny Leon during Saturday’s win.
Win: Rich Strike
163.60, 74.20, 29.40
Place: Epicenter
7.40, 5.20
Show: Zandon
5.60
$2 Exacta: 4,101.20
$2 Tri: 29,741.40
$1 Super: 321,500.10