This past weekend’s Kentucky Derby went above and beyond anything the event had seen before.
According to Churchill Downs, a record $179.0 million was bet on Saturday’s Derby (h/t ESPN’s David Purdum). It’s an increase of 17% of the amount wagered in 2021 and an eight percent increase over the previous track record.
Yet only $501,135 wagered on the win pool was on Rich Strike, the race’s winning horse
The amount bet on Rich Strike was the lowest of any horse in the field, which makes sense given Rich Strikes’ 80-1 odds. But those who did wager on the winner received a nice payout, a payout that could have been much greater if wagered on when the horse’s odds were 300-1 back in March or even 200-1 on Saturday at Circa in Las Vegas.
As the Kentucky Derby sizable increase in wagers over last year, you can bet that next year’s event will receive a huge amount of money in bets.
