Rich Strike Not The Longest Shot to Win Kentucky Derby, But Here’s Which Horse Was

Rich Strike was at 79-1 odds out of the gate, but he was not the longest shot to win the Race for the Roses.

Rich Strike was sitting in eighth and riding the inside rail down the final stretch of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby before jockey Sonny Leon made the winning move.

Leon moved the horse to the right to pass another horse on the rail and one of the pre-race favorites, Messier, and then continued to push Rich Strike past Epicenter to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Triple Crown racing history.

Rich Strike was at 79–1 odds out of the gate, but he was not the longest shot to win the Race for the Roses. You’d have to go back to 1913 for that distinction—Donerail was 91–1 winner, albeit in a field of eight horses compared to the 20 that ran on Saturday.

A look at a few of the other long shots to win the race:

• 91–1: Donerail, 1913
• 79–1: Rich Strike, 2022
• 65–1: Country House, 2019
• 50–1: Mine That Bird, 2009; Giacomo, 2005
• 35–1: Gallahadion, 1940