2022 Kentucky Derby sets record for betting handle

The Kentucky Derby always pulls in a ton of people because of its gambling appeal. But the 2022 rendition of the "most exciting two minutes in sports" took it up a notch.

ESPN reported via Churchill Downs that a record-setting $179.0 million was bet in the pari-mutuel pool on Saturday. That number is up 17-percent from 2021. 

According to ESPN, only $501,135 of the total amount wagered on the win pool was on Rich Strike, the 80-1 long shot who won the Run For The Roses.

Rich Strike entered the Kentucky Derby field just the day before the race when another horse had to be scratched. The three-year-old Thoroughbred became the winner with the second-longest odds in Kentucky Derby history, topped only by Donerail in 1913 who was a 91-1 long shot.

Rich Strike won in spectacular fashion, pulling ahead of favorites Epicenter and Zandon in the final leg of the race.