Longshot Rich Strike wins 2022 Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rich Strike, the longest shot in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, won the 148th running at Churchill Downs on Saturday evening.

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Ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, Rich Strike was not even in the field until Friday morning, drawing into the race with a scratch, and was given 80-1 odds, The New York Times reported.

Epicenter finished second, and Zandon finished third, the newspaper reported.

Saturday’s race, the first full crowd at Churchill Downs since 2019, was the first leg of the Triple Crown, the annual series of three races that includes the Kentucky Derby; the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York.

At $163.60, Rich Strike had the second-highest payoff for a Kentucky Derby winner since $2 mutuel bets began in 1911, ESPN reported.

Rich Strike is only the second horse in Kentucky Derby history to win the race from the 20th post position since the modern starting gate was introduced in 1930. Big Brown earned the distinction in 2008, the sports news network reported.

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2022 Kentucky Derby in photos A spectator takes a selfie with a horse at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race is scheduled for later in the day. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

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Hats at the 2022 Kentucky Derby A woman walks to the grandstand before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson/AP)

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