The Kentucky Derby is a very well known event that takes place annually in the state of Kentucky. For those who don’t know, the Kentucky Derby is an event where horses race 1¼ mile track. There are 20 total horses that race against each other, with different jockeys coming from all over the world to participate. Many people place bets on who will win the overall race, usually winning or losing large sums of money. Each horse is given a chance of winning, and is stated as a something-1. The lower the second number is, the better chance the horse has to win. Meaning that a horse with a 7-1 chance has a better chance of winning than a horse with a 15-1 chance.
The 148th Kentucky Derby took place this year and provided for a very interesting outcome. The favorites to win were Epicenter and Taiba at a 5-1 chance, then came Messier and Zandon at a 6-1 chance. The lowest being Classic Causeway at a 76-1 chance, and Rich Strike at an 84-1 chance. Rich Strike was initially not supposed to participate in the race, but Ethereal Road, the horse in the 20th spot, was scratched from taking part. Epicenter entered into the 3rd gate, Taiba as number 12, and Rich Strike at gate 20.
Then the race began! Epicenter started out well, trailing behind a couple horses, but then charged ahead on the stretch. Next it was Zandon’s turn to challenge Epicenter as he raced outside and almost looked as if he could win the whole thing. Then in the middle of nowhere, Rich Strike came in and found his chance with Taiba and Messier taking places behind them. Rich Strike raced ahead of Epicenter and pushed through to win by three-quarters length, bringing one of the greatest shocks in the Kentucky Derby’s history.
The horse with the smallest chance of winning, ended up taking the title and earned almost 2 million dollars! Before the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike’s total earnings was around 111,000 dollars. Taking second place, Epicenter earned around 600,000 dollars, and Zandon coming in third, pocketing 300,000 dollars.
In the end, it was an extraordinary derby this year, and all the contestants gave it their all. In front of the roaring crowd, all 20 horses had fabulous performances and gave for a thrilling 148th Kentucky Derby.
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