Rich Strike Won The Kentucky Derby At 80-1 Odds, The Biggest Longshot Since 1913

The 2022 Kentucky Derby featured a number of horses that were considered reasonable winners, led by Epicenter (4-1) and followed by the likes of Zandon (6-1), Messier (6-1), and others. Without a prohibitive favorite, there was some expectation of chaos, as some thought the 1 post might produce the first winner in history in Mo Donegal (10-1).

As they came out of the final turn, it was shaping up to be a battle between favorites, as Epicenter jumped to the lead and Zandon was trying to close hard on his outside. While everyone was focused on those two, out of nowhere, the horse with the longest odds in the field, Rich Strike (80-1), made an unbelievable charge up the inside and overtook the two favorites by nearly a full length at the wire to become the biggest upset winner of the Derby since 1913.

The horse was as fired up as anyone else, as it kept nipping at the pony as they tried to direct him off the track — and was later biting at the guys putting the roses on him in the winner’s circle.

As they noted on the broadcast, Rich Strike was purchased a year ago for $30,000 and earned a $1.8 million payday. For any bettor willing to throw out some wild bets with the longshot winning, there were some huge paydays out there. A $1 superfecta with Rich Strike, Epicenter, Zandon, and Simplification paid $321,500 — with a $0.50 trifecta paying $7,435.