Kentucky Derby poteka vse od leta 1875, na 148. izvedbi pa je prišlo do enega največjih presenečenj v zgodovini te preizkušnje. Med kopico ekstremno bogatih in znanih lastnikov konjev, trenerjev in jockeyjev je do zmage namreč prišla povsem neznana skupina ljudi zbrana okoli konja z imenom Rich Strike. Ta se je v dirko podal s keficientom 80-1, za vsak vplačan dolar pa so tisti, ki so stavili nanj, tako prejeli 80 dolarjev.
Rich Strike se je v ciljno ravnino sicer podal iz ozadja in se s sijajnim manevrom jezdeca Sonnyja Leona prebil skozi gnečo ter v zadnjih metrih ugnal tudi vse favorite za zmago.
WHERE DID HE COME FROM!?
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 7, 2022
Rich Strike (80-1) comes down the stretch to score one of the biggest upset wins in @KentuckyDerby history. #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/NPsYvPauVc
Rezultat je šokiral trenerja Erica Reeda, ki se je po presenečenju zgrudil, dirko je na velikem zaslonu spremljav iz prostorov, ki so namenjeni za pripravo konjev. "Izgubil sem zavest. Ne spominjam se, kaj se je zgodilo," je dejal trener.
Lastnik konja Rick Dawson, ki je pripomnil, da so njegovi konji doslej dobil le kakšnih 10 dirk, pa je zbrane novinarje le vprašal: "Na katerem planetu smo?"
Še v petek Rich Strike ni bil uvrščen na glavno tekmo, a je bil nato eden od konjev umaknjen iz dirke, prosto mesto pa je zasedel kasnejši zmagovalec.
WoW. This is absolutely incredible. What a shot. #RichStrike #KentuckyDerby #LongShot pic.twitter.com/OXVqpRsCsB
— pegasus productions (@PegasusProduct2) May 8, 2022
Športu, ki so ga v zadnjem času pretresli škandali z uporabo nedovoljenih medicinskih pripomočkov, ki so jih dajali konjem, vanje je bil vpleten tudi sloviti trener Bob Baffert, naj bi sicer zmaga 'nikogar po imenu med konji, nikogar med trenerji in nikogar med jockeyji', tako so zapisali pri Sports Illustrated, povrnila ugled.
"Plutokratični lastniki, veliki trenerji in znani jahači so bili na koncu premagani od skupine ljudi, ki ponavadi tekmuje na obskurnih prireditvah za manjše zneske. Za dve dih jemajoči minuti je dirkanje postalo igrišče za 'majhne ljudi', ki so nastopili na svojem prvem Derbyju oblečeni v kavbojke," je med drugim zapisal novinar Sports Illustrateda Pat Forde.
If you had Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby… pic.twitter.com/qgq9gN4qpN
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) May 7, 2022
RICH STRIKE WINS‼️
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 7, 2022
The second-biggest longshot winner (80-1) in the history of the Kentucky Derby 🐎
(via @NBCSports)pic.twitter.com/AzDBvIhXRQ
RT @AP_Sports: Rich Strike had the second-biggest upset in the 148-year history of the Kentucky Derby. He paid $163.60 to win. Only Donerail in 1913 had a higher payout of $184.90.
— Michael Miller—5229 Cornell Ave, El Paso, TX 79924 (@CarnageMovie) May 8, 2022
Rich Strike wasn’t even in the field until Friday.
by @bethharrisap #Ky… https://t.co/IXpcDdAvMq
Long shot only begins to describe Rich Strike's path to Kentucky Derby victory History will reflect on Rich Strike's most unlikely of wins Saturday at the Kentucky Derby, where the colt broke away from the pack to finish first with the https://t.co/QncnpIyjVi
— Hqsya.com (@Dq_Syafrullah) May 8, 2022
Rich Strike did what his father ( Keen Ice ) and grandfather ( curlin ) could not do it in @KentuckyDerby 🇺🇸
— Ahmed | 🐎💙 (@dp_ahmed1990) May 8, 2022
2006 Curlin 3rd
2015 Keen Ice 7th
2022 Rich Strike 1st
👏🏻🔥 pic.twitter.com/1eERXzsNjX
Rich Strike is the winner of the 148th Kentucky Derby. It was the result that most of us could not have predicted. He won the race with the second highest odds after the 91-1 Donerail in 1913 👏 #RichStrike #KentuckyDerby #bigwin #Respect
— Demir Tokdemir (@demirtokdemir33) May 8, 2022
I don’t have anything of Rich Strike…but here is his daddy, #KeenIce. pic.twitter.com/Qy85fad5en
— fireeve✊✊🎗️🎗️#FreeAssange #FreeAssangeNOW 🎗️🎗️ (@marspenny69oo) May 8, 2022