The Kentucky best-ever derby was won with the biggest long-range shot on the field.
A record $ 179.0 million was pledged in Saturday’s Kentucky derby money, a 17 percent increase from last year and 8 percent more than the previous record set in 2019, according to Churchill Downs. Only $ 501,135 of the total amount pledged to the payout was on Rich Strike, the lowest of all horses in the area, according to data released by the track.
Rich Strike, who came out at 80-1, sprinted past favorites Epicenter and Zanden in the final moments to bring out the second biggest upheaval in the 148-year history of Saturday’s race in Churchill Downs.
Rich Strike was an even bigger chance in Nevada, where bookmakers have been offering odds for the winner of the Kentucky Derby since the beginning of the year. Rich Strike can be found up to 300-1 in March and at 200-1 on Saturday at the Las Vegas Sportsbook Circa. Long odds attracted a wave of late bets on Rich Strike, turning what was a big win for most bookmakers in Nevada into a small loser for Circa.
“People love the longest punches on the board, so we took very small bets [on Rich Strike]$ 25, $ 50, here and there, “said Paul Zilm, a risk supervisor who oversees Circa’s proposals for horse racing to ESPN.” This has become a small loss for us. “
Rich Strike wasn’t even on the field until Friday after a late scratch. Circa again added the foal to its pool after a draw on Friday morning. Zilm has calculated that it has taken 75-100 bets on Rich Strike, many of which were made in the last 15 minutes before the race in the 125-1 to 150-1 range, which is almost twice the odds on the track.
“It has accumulated quickly, but if I do it again, it probably won’t change much,” Zilm said. “Long-range bettors have made their wish come true.”
Jim Mattress Mackweil, the owner of a furniture store in Houston known for making big bets, was not so lucky. McKingvale told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he lost $ 2.6 million by betting on the Derby, of which $ 1.5 million in a direct bet to win his beloved Epicenter. McKingvale is using his big Derby bets to soften the promotion at his furniture store, Gallery Furniture, which has offered to refund at least $ 3,000 if the favorite wins the Kentucky Derby.
While Circa Sports came out short, other bookmakers in Las Vegas did well with Rich Strike disorder. The SuperBook in Westgate Las Vegas said it took “maybe 10” Rich Strike bets to win the Futures in the futures pool.
“[We] retains almost the entire pool, “Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at SuperBoook, told ESPN.
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