Kentucky Derby 2022: Final closing odds, order of finish
Former claimer Rich Strike pulled off the second biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history Saturday when slipping through on the rail under jockey Sonny Leon and surging past both Zandon and favorite Epicenter to win the 148th running of the classic at Churchill Downs.
Epicenter and Joel Rosario had seized the lead in deep stretch after stalking a lively pace that included fractions 21.78, 45.36 and six furlongs in 1:10.34. Zandon, who was well of the pace as expected, uncorked his patented late move to challenge the leader at the eighth pole, but bursting through on the inside came Rich Strike to pull off the shocker.
The winning time for 1 1/4 miles on a fast track was 2:02.61. Epicenter outlasted Zandon for second with Simplification checking in fourth followed by Mo Donegal.Trained by Eric Reed, Rich Strike only made the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby due to the scratch of Ethereal Road that came after Monday's post position draw. This was the first time in the Derby for both Reed and Leon.
Rich Strike returned $163.60, which is the second-highest payout ever in a Kentucky Derby. Donerail still holds the biggest Derby upset when he paid $184.90 in 1913. More recently, Country House paid $132.40 in 2019 after Maximum Security crossed the wire but was disqualified for interference.
By Keen Ice out of the Smart Strike mare Gold Strike, Rich Strike is owned by RED TR-Racing. His only previous win came in against $30,000 maiden-claimers at Churchill Downs last September when he was claimed by the current connections from breeder Calumet Farm.
His last three starts were on the synthetic track at Turfway Park, which included a third in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and fourth in the John Battaglia Memorial.
| Fin. | No. | Kentucky Derby 2022 | Odds | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 21 | Rich Strike | 80-1 | Eric Reed | Sonny León |
| 2nd | 3 | Epicenter | *4-1 | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario |
| 3rd | 10 | Zandon | 6-1 | Chad Brown | Flavien Prat |
| 4th | 13 | Simplification | 35-1 | Antonio Sano | José Ortiz |
| 5th | 1 | Mo Donegal | 10-1 | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. |
| 6th | 14 | Barber Road | 60-1 | John Ortiz | Rey Gutiérrez |
| 7th | 18 | Tawny Port | 80-1 | Brad Cox | Ricardo Santana Jr. |
| 8th | 5 | Smile Happy | 14-1 | Ken McPeek | Corey Lanerie |
| 9th | 9 | Tiz the Bomb | 31-1 | Ken McPeek | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| 10th | 19 | Zozos | 48-1 | Brad Cox | Manny Franco |
| 11th | 17 | Classic Causeway | 78-1 | Brian Lynch | Julien Leparoux |
| 12th | 12 | Taiba | 5-1 | Tim Yakteen | Mike Smith |
| 13th | 7 | Crown Pride | 17-1 | Koichi Shintani | Christophe Lemaire |
| 14th | 2 | Happy Jack | 23-1 | Doug O'Neill | Rafael Bejarano |
| 15th | 6 | Messier | 7-1 | Tim Yakteen | John Velázquez |
| 16th | 15 | White Abarrio | 15-1 | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione |
| 17th | 8 | Charge It | 16-1 | Todd Pletcher | Luis Sáez |
| 18th | 16 | Cyberknife | 14-1 | Brad Cox | Florent Géroux |
| 19th | 11 | Pioneer of Medina | 55-1 | Todd Pletcher | Joe Bravo |
| 20th | 4 | Summer Is Tomorrow | 36-1 | Bhupat Seemar | Mickaël Barzalona |
| *Favorite | |||||
| Win pool $49,709,884 |