Jockey Sonny Leon reacts as Rich Strike wins the 148th run of the Kentucky race at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
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Jockey Sonny Leon reacts as Rich Strike wins the 148th run of the Kentucky race at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
Rich Strike, who hit the 80-1 shot, was the winner of the 148th Kentucky race at Churchill Downs, the first stop of the 2022 Tricycle Grand Prix of the Thoroughbred Race. His win was the second-biggest loss in Derby history.
Entering the race, Taiba and Epicenter were two co-winners, with the odds of 5-1 and 4-1 respectively. And many experts also predicted Zandon to win with a score of 6-1.
No one could have predicted victory from Rich Strike and his riders, Sonny Leon, who made his first appearance at the Kentucky Derby. Leon waited until the end of the race to make his move, as he beat both Epicenter and Zandon in the first leg final.
Rich Strike brought the winner $1.86 million, while Epicenter was awarded $600,000 for second and $300,000 for Zandon for third.
Rich Strike’s annoyance is the second biggest in History of the Kentucky Derbysecond only to a horse named Donerail in 1913 who beat the odds of 91.45-1.
Twenty horses competed in what is often described as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” meaning how long it took competitors to complete a 1-mile lap.
Every year, on the first Saturday in May, more than 150,000 spectators of their best Derby sports flock to the racetrack in Louisville, Ky., for the longest-running sporting event in American history. Countless others watched the event and placed their bets, with more than $150 million changing hands each year, according to Derby website.
The race, also known as “Run for the Roses,” is the first stop in the Triple Crown series. The next race, the Preakness Stakes in Maryland, will run in two weeks, followed by the final stop, Belmont States in New York, on June 11.
Bob Baffert, coach of Medina Spirit, at the Kentucky Derby last year. Baffert was suspended after Medina Spirit tested positive for illegal substances after last year’s race. As a result, Medina Spirit was disqualified.
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Bob Baffert, coach of Medina Spirit, at the Kentucky Derby last year. Baffert was suspended after Medina Spirit tested positive for illegal substances after last year’s race. As a result, Medina Spirit was disqualified.
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Last year’s derby winner, Medina Spirit, eliminated in late February after failing a post-race drug test last May. His trainer, Bob Baffert, was suspended for 90 days and fined $7,500, but he has denied any wrongdoing. Medina Spirit, who passed away last December, tested positive for betamethasone. The drug is used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation but is banned on race days.
The horse racing industry has come under attack in recent years, suffering one scandal after another. 27 people were indicted on federal charges in 2020 for an alleged doping conspiracy. And more than 30 horses had died at Santa Anita Park in California the year before.
However, changes are ahead: A new body was created to regulate both racing safety and anti-doping control and set a new set of national standards.
