Kentucky Derby 2022 saw the second-largest upset in its history, as Rich Strike beat 80-1 odds to emerge the winner. The first was Donerail in 1913, who beat 91-1 odds. Rich Strike was only added to the list Friday, after Ethereal Road was scrapped, and was nowhere close to favourites like Epicenter or Zandon. However, jockey Sonny Leon rode the steed and broke free inside to reach the finish line in an exciting 148th edition of Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.  

Considering the enormous odds against Rich Strike, anyone who bet on the horse won big. One individual, Stephanie Rogers, attended the races but didn’t have much luck betting exactas, until she decided to listen to her son and switch strategies. 

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Rogers, whose husband works at Churchill Downs, put a $3 win bet on Rich Strike, telling the Lexington Herald-Ledger “Just kind of picked the longest shot and said, ‘Why not?'”. 

She won $280 from the bet, which also included Epicenter, the horse that finished second. Rogers continued, “First of all, I didn’t think he was going to win. I thought Epicenter (or) Zandon were going to win”, adding, “But I saw (Rich Strike) come down and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he just won. I just won a lot of money.’” 

Betting a $2 exacta on Rich Strike, where the bettor must decide on the first and second-placed horses in exact order, would have had a payout of $4,101.20. 

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Meanwhile, a $1 superfecta bet would see a $321,500.10 payout. In a superfecta, the bettor must correctly predict the first four places in the right order. In the most recent version of the derby, they were Rich Strike (80-1), Epicenter (4-1), Zandon (6-1) and Simplification (35-1). 

“The most exciting two minutes in sports” certainly lived up to its name, resulting in a surprise victory for Rich Strike, and debut derby wins for the Venezuelan jockey as well as Rich Strike’s trainer, Eric Reed.