| Kentucky Derby | |
| Grade I stakes race | |
 "The Run for the Roses" | |
| Location | Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
|---|---|
| Date | May 7, 2022 (2022-05-07) |
| Distance | 1+1⁄4 mi (10 furlongs; 2,012 m) |
| Winning horse | Rich Strike |
| Winning time | 2:02.61 |
| Final odds | 80–1 |
| Jockey | Sonny Leon |
| Trainer | Eric Reed |
| Owner | RED TR-Racing |
| Conditions | Fast |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Attendance | 147,294 |
The2022 Kentucky Derby (officially, the148th Running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve[1]) took place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, atChurchill Downs inLouisville, Kentucky. It was the 148th running of theKentucky Derby, a1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km)Grade I stakes race for three-year-oldThoroughbreds. The Derby is held annually at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May since its inception in 1875. The 20 horses that ran in the Derby qualified by earning points in the2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The two favorites for the 2022 Kentucky Derby were Epicenter, the winner of theLouisiana Derby, and Zandon, the winner of theBlue Grass Stakes. Both horses finished behind winnerRich Strike, who had only entered the race after a latescratch. Entering the race at odds of 80–1, Rich Strike's victory was the second-largest upset in Derby history. It was the first Kentucky Derby victory for his trainerEric Reed, as well as the first graded stakes win in any race for his jockeySonny Leon.
Participation in theKentucky Derby is restricted to three-year-oldThoroughbreds.[2] As such, all participants in the 2022 race werefoaled in 2019, and most originated from the 2019 North American crop of 20,433 foals.[3] This was the smallest North American foal crop since 1966, in which 20,228 Thoroughbreds were foaled.[4] Participation in the Kentucky Derby is also open to European and Japanese Thoroughbreds, but foreign participation is rare.[5] The field is limited to the top 20 horses on the2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard; these points are distributed to the top-four finishers in designated races.[6] TheRoad to the Kentucky Derby system was introduced in 2013; previously, qualification was tied to a horse's earnings in previousgraded stakes races, which were affected by variables such as the presence ofcasinos at a particularrace track.[7]
In 2022, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby consisted of 36 races in North America plus one in Dubai, taking place between September 18, 2021, and April 16, 2022.[2][8] It featured the addition of one race — the newly created Gun Runner Stakes, which took place atFair Grounds Race Course on December 26.[2]
No horse trained byBob Baffert was eligible for points in any qualification race. If a Baffert-trained horse were to finish in the top four of a qualifying race, zero points would be awarded.[9] This rule was put into place as part of a larger series of sanctions against Baffert, whose2021 Kentucky Derby runnerMedina Spirit finished first but was subsequently disqualified after testing positive forbetamethasone.[10][11] In response, owners of several Baffert-trained Derby contenders transferred them to trainers Tim Yakteen and Rodolphe Brisset. Two of these horses,Taiba and Messier, eventually started in the Derby after earning points following the transfer.[2][5][12]
The eight major prep races for Derby qualification are, in chronological order, theUAE Derby,Louisiana Derby,Florida Derby,Arkansas Derby,Jeff Ruby Steaks,Wood Memorial Stakes,Blue Grass Stakes, andSanta Anita Derby. All of these races provide 100 points to their first-place finisher.[8][13] The major preps began on March 26, when Epicenter won the Louisiana Derby and Crown Pride, a Japanese horse who entered with 16–1 odds, won the UAE Derby.[14][15] The next three major races were held on April 2, withWhite Abarrio,Cyberknife, and Tiz the Bomb winning the Florida Derby, Arkansas Derby, and Jeff Ruby Steaks, respectively.[16] On April 9, the final day of major preps,Mo Donegal won the Wood Memorial, Zandon the Blue Grass, andTaiba the Santa Anita Derby.[17] While a Derby invitation is extended to the winner of the European and the Japan Road to the Derby, none of the top finishers from either circuit were nominated for theTriple Crown,[18] and the offers were not accepted.[2] The one Japanese horse who participated in the Derby, Crown Pride, did so by qualifying on the main Road.[19]
The field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby was considered to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, with no clear favorite in the weeks leading up to the race.[20][21][22][23] Themorning line front runners were Zandon andEpicenter, with 3–1 and 7–2 odds respectively.[24] Zandon, the Blue Grass Stakes winner, had a 2–1–1 record (two wins, a second and a third-place finish) in four career starts and finished second in the Road to the Kentucky Derby with 114 points.[25] Epicenter, meanwhile, was 4–1–0 in six lifetime starts with wins in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby. He led the Road to the Derby with 164 points.[26] Prior to the race, Epicenter drew post 3, an historically difficult starting post due to its close proximity to the rail. The last Kentucky Derby winner to break from the third post wasReal Quiet in1998. Zandon, breaking from the 10th post of 20, was also figured to run into traffic from his competitors as he had a late-running style.[27]
Also considered strong contenders for the Derby were Messier,Taiba, andWhite Abarrio.[28] Messier, originally trained by Baffert, was transferred to Yakteen in order to qualify for the Triple Crown. He was 14th in qualification with 40 points and entered the race with a 3–3–0 record in six starts, including a second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby.[29]Taiba, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby, had also been transferred from Baffert to Yakteen and was undefeated in two starts. His 100 points were eighth among Kentucky Derby qualifiers.[30]White Abarrio was trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., while his 112 points were third among all Derby contenders.White Abarrio had a 4–0–1 record in five lifetime starts, including a first-place finish in the Florida Derby.[31] Messier drew the sixth post before the race, withTaiba drawing twelfth and White Abarrio fifteenth.[32]
If any of the 20 Derby entries is withdrawn from the race before betting begins, the next-highest ranked horse on the leaderboard draws into their place.[32] On the day before the race, Ethereal Road, who was set to race from the 20th post, was scratched from the Derby.Rich Strike drew into the Derby as a result of the scratch. He had a record of 1–0–3 in seven lifetime starts and earned his qualifying points by finishing in third place at the Jeff Ruby Steaks.[33] His only win came in amaiden claiming race on September 17, 2021.[34]
The Kentucky Derby takes place annually atChurchill Downs inLouisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, where it began in 1875. Participating horses run a distance of1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), or 10furlongs.[6] The Derby is aGrade I event with a purse of $3,000,000 in 2022.[35] Predicted rain and thunderstorms inLouisville, Kentucky suggested that the Derby could be raced in muddy or sloppy conditions. Only three horses in the Derby had previously raced on an "off" track, and such precipitation had the chance to alter the race dynamics.[36] However, the rain held off. By the time horses reached the post, the weather at Churchill Downs was 62 °F (17 °C) with cloudy skies and 10 mph (16 km/h) winds. Thetrack condition was listed as fast.[37]
The listed attendance for the 2022 Kentucky Derby was 147,294.[38] This was an increase overthe previous year, when ticket sales were restricted due to theeffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but below the expected crowd of 170,000.[39][40] Coverage of the Derby was broadcast onUSA Network from noon to 2:30 p.m. (ET) and then moved toNBC until 7:30 p.m. (ET). The race was also broadcast online throughPeacock,NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.[6]
Summer is Tomorrow took an early lead out of the gates, setting a Derby record by running the first quarter-mile in 21.78 seconds.[41][42] Crown Pride kept apace with Summer is Tomorrow through the first half-mile, run in 45.36 seconds, with Messier following close behind.[43] Messier took the lead at the3⁄4-mile mark but was soon overtaken by Epicenter at the head of the stretch. Meanwhile, Rich Strike, who had been well back early, was still in fifteenth place after the first mile and in heavy traffic. Rich Strike moved to the rail, weaved around a tiring Messier and closed steadily in the final furlong to win the race with a time of 2:02.61.[35][43][44] Epicenter finished in second place,3⁄4 of alength behind. Another3⁄4 of a length behind him was Zandon, with Simplification finishing a further two lengths back in fourth.[41] Messier finished the race in fifteenth while Summer is Tomorrow finished last among all 20 participants.[35]
Going off at odds of 80–1, Rich Strike recorded the second-highest upset in Derby history behindDonerail, who won the1913 race with 91–1 odds.[45] He was also the second horse in Derby history to win the race from the 20th post, followingBig Brown in2008.[46][47] It was the first Kentucky Derby victory for trainerEric Reed,[48] as well as the first graded stakes win of any kind for jockeySonny Leon.[49]
| Finish | Program Number | Horse | Qualifying Points[2] | Trainer | Jockey | Morning Line Odds[50] | Final Odds | Margin (Lengths) | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21[a] | Rich Strike | 21 | Eric Reed | Sonny Leon | 30-1 | 80.80 | $1,860,000 | |
| 2 | 3 | Epicenter | 164 | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 7-2 | 4.10 | 3⁄4 | $600,000 |
| 3 | 10 | Zandon | 114 | Chad C. Brown | Flavien Prat | 3-1 | 6.10 | 1+1⁄2 | $300,000 |
| 4 | 13 | Simplification | 74 | Antonio Sano | José Ortiz | 20-1 | 35.30 | 3+1⁄2 | $150,000 |
| 5 | 1 | Mo Donegal | 112 | Todd A. Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 10-1 | 10.10 | 3+3⁄4 | $90,000 |
| 6 | 14 | Barber Road | 58 | John Ortiz | Reylu Gutierrez | 30-1 | 60.40 | 4+3⁄4 | |
| 7 | 18 | Tawny Port | 60 | Brad H. Cox | Ricardo Santana Jr. | 30-1 | 80.50 | 4+3⁄4 | |
| 8 | 5 | Smile Happy | 70 | Kenneth G. McPeek | Corey Lanerie | 20-1 | 14.10 | 10 | |
| 9 | 9 | Tiz the Bomb | 110 | Kenneth G. McPeek | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 30-1 | 31.00 | 12+1⁄2 | |
| 10 | 19 | Zozos | 40 | Brad H. Cox | Manuel Franco | 20-1 | 48.70 | 15+3⁄4 | |
| 11 | 17 | Classic Causeway | 66 | Brian A. Lynch | Julien Leparoux | 30-1 | 78.90 | 17 | |
| 12 | 12 | Taiba | 100 | Tim Yakteen | Mike E. Smith | 12-1 | 5.80 | 17+3⁄4 | |
| 13 | 7 | Crown Pride | 100 | Koichi Shintani | Christophe Lemaire | 20-1 | 17.50 | 18+1⁄4 | |
| 14 | 2 | Happy Jack | 30 | Doug F. O'Neill | Rafael Bejarano | 30-1 | 23.20 | 19 | |
| 15 | 6 | Messier | 40 | Tim Yakteen | John Velazquez | 8-1 | 7.10 | 19+1⁄4 | |
| 16 | 15 | White Abarrio | 112 | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione | 10-1 | 15.40 | 20 | |
| 17 | 8 | Charge It | 40 | Todd A. Pletcher | Luis Saez | 20-1 | 16.00 | 28 | |
| 18 | 16 | Cyberknife | 100 | Brad H. Cox | Florent Geroux | 20-1 | 14.90 | 42+3⁄4 | |
| 19 | 11 | Pioneer of Medina | 25 | Todd A. Pletcher | Joe Bravo | 30-1 | 55.90 | 57 | |
| 20 | 4 | Summer Is Tomorrow | 40 | Bhupat Seemar | Mickael Barzalona | 30-1 | 36.80 | 64+1⁄2 | |
| Scratched[33] | 22 | D. Wayne Lukas | Luis Contreras | 30-1 | n/a | ||||
| 20 | Kenneth G. McPeek | James Graham | 30-1[32] | n/a |
Track: Fast
Times:1⁄4 mile – 21.78;1⁄2 mile – 45.36;3⁄4 mile – 1:10.34; mile – 1:36.96; final – 2:02.61
Splits for each quarter-mile: (23:58) (24:98) (26:62) (25:65)
Source: Equibase chart[35]
The table below provides the Kentucky Derby payout schedule.[35]
| Program number | Horse name | Win | Place | Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Rich Strike | $163.60 | $74.20 | $29.40 |
| 3 | Epicenter | — | $7.40 | $5.20 |
| 10 | Zandon | — | — | $5.60 |
On May 12, Rich Strike's owner Rick Dawson announced that the horse would not participate in the2022 Preakness Stakes.[51] Dawson and Reed told reporters that the decision was made to give Rich Strike time to recover from his "tremendous effort" in the Derby.[52] His next start would instead be the2022 Belmont Stakes, giving the horse five weeks between major races instead of two. It was the first time that a healthy Derby winner did not race in the Preakness sinceSpend a Buck in 1985.[53] Instead,Early Voting won the Preakness, while Epicenter became the first horse since 2012'sBodemeister to finish second in both races.[54]
