Long-shot Rich Strike stuns crowd and wins the 148th Kentucky Derby

By Kevin Dotson and Christina Maxouris, CNN

Updated 0222 GMT (1022 HKT) May 8, 2022

Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, crosses the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky.

(CNN)In a stunning upset that sent the crowd roaring, Rich Strike won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.

The horse entered the race at 80-1 odds — the biggest long-shot in the 20-horse field. Rich Strike began the derby week as an alternate and wasn't added to the field until Friday, when another horse pulled out of the race. «We came here on a prayer,» trainer Eric Reed said during a news conference after the race. «Anybody that's in this business, lightning can strike.»Jockey Sonny Leon aboard Rich Strike.As the horses entered the final stretch of the race, Rich Strike was in the middle of the pack but surged past front-runners and betting favorites Epicenter and Zandon in the final seconds of the race. Epicenter and Zandon finished in second and third place, respectively.Read MoreReed said his team went to Louisville a few days before the derby, while still on alternate status, to prepare for the possible scenario that the horse would be in the race. Rich Strike began training «against all odds, nobody thought we could get in,» Reed said. On Friday, a day before the race, officials announced another horse, Ethereal Road, was out and Rich Strike was in. Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, beats Epicenter at the finish line.«I couldn't even breathe,» Reed said. «This is… the reason everybody does this. Cause we're not supposed to be here, but I knew this horse loved the track and he's been training so good