Friday morning, Rich Strike wasn't entered in the Kentucky Derby. Saturday evening, the 80-1 long shot was a Derby champion.
The 148th Kentucky Derby went off under gray skies on a track that wasn't nearly as soaked as conditions had forecast, and for almost all of the race, the favorites ran as predicted. But in the final few paces of the race, Rich Strike cut to the inside to beat two favorites, Zandon and Epicenter, to win the race. Rich Strike, entered only when Ethereal Road scratched out Friday morning, is one of the longest-odds horses ever to win the race.