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The sport of horse racing is a high stakes gamble. The people involved can spend a lot of money and time only to have the animal fizzle on the track. And then there are those that are bought for pennies on the dollar and squeak onto the Derby within seconds. Rich Strike was bought in a claiming race for $30,000 and almost wasn’t even entered into the first leg of the Triple Crown. It can come down to the horse’s heart.
Rich Strike was a long shot
At 80-1 odds, he’s the second longest shot to win in an upset. He is also only the second colt to win the Derby from the 20th post position since the current starting gate was used. The other horse that occupied that post position and won was Big Brown in 2008.
The chestnut colt’s jockey, Sonny Leon, is a Venezuelan native who started working in the racing field when he was 15 in Youngstown, Ohio. This win meant the world to him. Leon explained, “I came through in the stretch. I kept him right because, I think I got this Kentucky Derby. … I think I got this race. I got to keep him right more than ever.”
Rich Strike (80-1) upsets the field to win the Kentucky Derby!
(via @NBCSports) pic.twitter.com/rWi7PDjkri
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 7, 2022
Rich Strike could do it
His owner, Richard Dawson of Red-TR Racing, thought he could do it. He was crowing after the race, and for good reason! “We felt like if we got in, we could win. … We never entered a race that we did not think we could win. This is the most unbelievable day ever … it’s like having a football team and winning a Super Bowl …with one player.”
The favorites all placed second and worse. Epicenter was second, Zandon was third, Taiba was 12th and Messier was way back at 15th place.
Rich Strike came out of the blue
This was his first attempt at the race. It’s common horses might hang out in the pack and wait to make a move. That happened here too. Leon encouraged the colt to go in the stretch.
The winner’s purse is $1.8 million. Second place is $600,000, third is $300,000. The biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history was a horse named Donerail in 1913. His odds were huge, 91-1.
This is a big race with an understandably crowded field, 20 horses lined up at the gate for this annual event. The “Run for the Roses” takes place the first Saturday in May with over $150 million changing hands in bets.
