Tag: 2022 Kentucky Derby

11 other 80-to-1 longshots across sport to show how improbable Rich Strike’s Kentucky Derby win was

If Rich Strike can do it, so can they, right?

It might be difficult to understand just how improbable Rich Strike’s win at the Kentucky Derby was if you aren’t into sports betting (or math, which I completely relate to). So to put a little context behind the victor’s 80 to 1 odds, we’re going to take a look at some other long shots across sports with similarly long odds.

That Rich Strike wasn’t even entered into the race as of Friday morning helps to begin to understand how crazy it is that the horse was a champion by Saturday evening. The odds of that win were longer than those of the Cincinnati Bengals to win the AFC last season (70 to 1), which seemed impossible after they won four games in 2020.

Here are few more comparable long shots across sports, with odds from Tipico Sportsbook.

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Before winning the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike’s trainer lost two dozen horses in a 2016 barn fire

What an unfathomable tragedy to come back from.

After winning the 148th Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike’s trainer Eric Reed should understandably feel like he’s standing on Cloud Nine. When you make history and floor the entire horse racing and betting sphere in the process, the world is your oyster.

But with great glory comes a degree of adversity and, in this case, a terrible tragedy.

Before Rich Strike kicked it into gear in unprecedented fashion down the stretch on Saturday, Reed once had to salvage the impossible from the ground up. As impressive as his horse’s run was, this is about the horror he endured before capturing horse racing’s most prestigious title:

In late 2016, on his farm in Lexington, a massive barn fire claimed the lives of 24 horses under his care.

More from WKYT News:

“The owner of the training center, Eric Reed says they rescued as many as they could before the flames took over.

‘My other guys were helping and the horses would run back in naturally and we would have to take them back out. The barn started collapsing and we just had to call it off,’ Reed said.

Reed says there were 36 horses inside the barn at the time, but only close to a dozen made it out alive.”

Oh my goodness. I can’t even comprehend the courage that compels you to run back toward danger after escaping to safety. It’s simply unfathomable. I wouldn’t have blamed Reed if he gave up on training then and there for pure trauma’s sake.

A half-decade later, he and Rich Strike are co-owners of the famed rose garland. What a remarkable twist of fate after so much heartache.

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Rich Strike’s stunner and 4 other horses with the longest odds to win the Kentucky Derby

Wait, they won by HOW many lengths?

With a thundering run, Rich Strike is the 148th winner of the Kentucky Derby. It’s an absolute stunner of an outcome, to be sure. Considering that the horse had 80-1 odds to win coming in — the second-longest in the Derby’s record — we have almost never seen a more unexpected result in the race’s illustrious history.

That got me thinking. As Rich Strike capped off the incredible upset, what other champion thoroughbreds pulled off the seemingly impossible at Churchill Downs?

From an early 20th-century enterprising underdog to a well-timed controversy rewarding a more modern champion, here are four of the other noteworthy longshots to win the Kentucky Derby.

Let’s just say Rich Strike has joined some exclusive, esteemed company.

2022 Kentucky Derby: Here’s how much you would’ve made with a $1 superfecta

That’s a lot of Benjamins…

“The most exciting two minutes in sports” certainly lived up to its name on Saturday, as longshot Rich Strike captured the 148th Kentucky Derby with an incredible push at the end.

Rich Strike entered the Derby with the worst odds in the group at 80-1, but came away victorious in what was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race. Only Donerail (91.5-1) in 1913 won with lower odds entering the event.

Anyone who had the foresight to place a bet on Rich Strike to win has certainly struck rich, but what if you were brilliant (insane?) enough to correctly place a $1 superfecta bet?

To win a superfecta bet, one must correctly predict not just the winner of the Derby, but also the second, third and fourth place finishers. This year, that was Epicenter (4-1), Zandon (6-1) and Simplification (35-1), respectively.

Getting all of those right, which would have been a truly unbelievable feat, would have netted a rightfully unbelievable payout. With just a $1 bet, you would win $321,500.10.

Sheesh.

Given Rich Strike’s unlikely odds to win, it seems fair to assume that there were very few (if any) people who won this superfecta bet. But at the same time, if someone did make that bet, they likely put more than $1 up.

Bottom line: Someone may have had a really good day on Saturday—aside from Rich Strike’s team.

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Mattress Mack lost $1.5 million on Kentucky Derby as Epicenter takes second

Poor Mattress Mack.

Is it actually a big sporting event if Mattress Mack isn’t betting on it? Lucky for the Kentucky Derby, its status as a big-time event is validated now that the famous sports bettor placed money on the big race.

How much money?

Mattress Mack didn’t bet all of the $4 million he had previously suggested he might, and it’s a good thing he didn’t.

Instead, Mattress Mack ended up placing a $1.5 million bet on Epicenter to win the race. Epicenter actually did well, finishing in second place at the 148th Kentucky Derby. But that’s not how Mattress Mack was going to make money.

It turns out that he should have instead put his money on Rich Strike, who won with the race’s longest odds (80-1) after being entered into the Kentucky Derby Friday, following a late scratch.

Imagine $1.5 million on 80-1 odds. Go ahead and do the math.

Add this to the long list of Mattress Mack lost bets.

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Kentucky Derby 2022: Rich Strike pulls off an epic victory, 80-1 longshot wins 148th Derby

The 148th Kentucky Derby belongs to Rich Strike

Rich Strike has shocked the horse racing world and won the 148th Kentucky Derby, earning the first Derby victory for trainer Eric R. Reed.

Guided by jockey Sonny Leon, Rich Strike held the longest odds in the field at 80-1 after entering the race following a late scratch by Ethereal Road. While Zandon and Epicenter battled stride for stride down the stretch, Rich Strike seemingly burst out of nowhere to take the win at the last moment.

He claimed the Run for the Roses in 2:02.61. The odds-on favorite, Epicenter (4-1), placed second.

Take a look at the epic finish for yourself:

Race Results

  1. Rich Strike ($163.60, $74.20, $29.40)
  2. Epicenter (N/A, $7.40, $5.20)
  3. Zandon (N/A, N/A, $5.60)

(Based on $2 bet)

$2.00 Exacta: $4,101.20

$1.00 Trifecta: $14,870.70

$1.00 Superfecta: $321,500.10

Purse Payouts

  1.  $1.86 million
  2. $600,000
  3. $300,000
  4. $150,000
  5. $90,000

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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10 celebrities and athletes who made an appearance at the 2022 Kentucky Derby

It was a who’s who of famous people at Churchill Downs for Saturday’s race.

In the 146 years since the Kentucky Derby began, it has become a premier destination for world-famous celebrities and athletes on an annual basis.

Every May, the rich and famous flock to Louisville, Kentucky, to see the race in person, and with the event returning to full capacity in 2022 after two years of limited attendance, you can bet there were a lot of notable people arriving at the track on Saturday morning for the event, which could see more than 150,000 people in the stands.

From Jack Harlow to Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis, a potential top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, it was certainly a who’s who at Churchill Downs.

The race is set to begin at 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday evening on NBC, but before we find out who will capture the first leg of this year’s triple crown, let’s take a look at who all was on hand for the festivities.

Kentucky Derby 2022 updated odds as of the morning of the race

An updated look at the odds on Saturday morning

Happy Kentucky Derby day to you all as the 2022 edition of the Run for the Roses will take place at Churchill Downs later on Saturday.

We’ve given you updated odds, starting with the morning lines from Monday’s draw, updates on Thursday and now it’s time to look at where they’re at on Saturday morning as we get ready (and, if you want another angle, we’ve ranked every Derby horse name this year as we usually do).

It’s always worth noting that these odds will change up to the start of the race, but here they are as of Saturday morning around 7:45 AM ET:

Why Bob Baffert is banned from the 2022 Kentucky Derby, explained

The Hall of Fame trainer will have to miss out on horse racing’s biggest event this year.

Even the most casual horse racing observers have probably heard the name Bob Baffert. The majority of them could probably pick the silver-haired trainer out of a lineup. The 69-year-old has won the Kentucky Derby six times, claimed two Triple Crowns (2015, 2018) and was the handler behind American Pharoah, Justify, Authentic and Medina Spirit.

And it’s that last name that helps explain why Baffert isn’t allowed at the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Shortly after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Medina Spirit tested positive for the banned steroid betamethasone. While Baffert initially denied ever administering the drug, a subsequent investigation revealed the substance was found in an ointment applied to the horse.

Following the confirmation of a positive drug test in June 2021, Baffert was banned from all Churchill Downs properties for two years—a punishment that will expire following the 2023 Spring Meet. The trainer was also hit with a 90-day suspension, which precludes him from entering any of the Triple Crown races this year.

Medina Spirit died on the track following a workout at Santa Anita Park in California last December.

Mattress Mack is again betting millions on the Kentucky Derby after huge loss in 2021

This probably doesn’t bode well for the favorite.

Mattress Mack, the Houston-area furniture store mogul known for his incredibly large bets, has been in a bit of losing streak ever since cashing out on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory in 2021. And it all started with last year’s Kentucky Derby, when he bet what is believed to be a Derby record $2.4 million on Essential Quality to win and the horse finished fourth.

Undeterred, Mack is returning to the Derby and again betting on whichever horse ends up as the favorite on Saturday. And he’s upping the amount.

“I will be there, and I will be betting with both hands,” Mack said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’ll be betting probably between $2½ (million) and $3 million on the favorite.”

Mack’s bets are hedges for promotions at his furniture store. This one involves a customer refund of $3,000 or more if the favorite wins the Derby.

As of Thursday, the best odds are still on the morning line favorite Zandon at 3-to-1, but Epicenter isn’t far behind at 7-to-2. But the way Mack’s bets have turned out, it’s probably best not to be the favorite. In just the last few months, he bet a combined $3.25 million on the Astros to win last year’s World Series, but the Braves won it. Then there was the more than $6 million on Alabama to win the national championship that Georgia ended up capturing. And we can’t forget about the the $9.5 million he put on the Bengals to win the Super Bowl. That didn’t happen either.

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