THIS is the crushing moment the world’s biggest punter loses £1.2million on the Kentucky Derby after an 80-1 outsider sprung the mother of all shocks.
Mattress Mack, real name Jim McIngvale, put six figures on favourite Epicenter winning America’s biggest race last Saturday.
Mattress Mack put $1.5 MILLION on Epicenter to win the Kentucky Derby…
Epicenter finished in second. pic.twitter.com/sGBusFM4YC
— br_betting (@br_betting) May 7, 2022
But it was 80-1 Rich Strike who hit the jackpot with an absolute peach of a ride under Sonny Leon.
Rich Strike, trained by Kentucky’s own Eric Reed, finished ahead of runner-up Epicenter and third-placed Zandon.
The victor – the second-biggest priced winner in the history of the race – only made it into the field the day before when Ethereal Road was withdrawn.
Donald Trump and Drake were part of the 150,000 punters who made their way to the home of US racing.
But it’s a fair bet none of them felt as heartbroken afterwards as Mattress, who in 2020 lost £1.9m betting on beaten favourite Essential Quality.
Video showed McIngvale, 71, watching anxiously as Epicenter made his move to front with Zandon tagging alongside.
The pair looked to be dueling it out between them for the £1.4m first-place prize.
But Rich Strike caught fire on the inside and ate up the dirt in the final furlong to pip Epicenter on the line and deliver the biggest shock in the race in the past 100 years.
Along with his other bets, which amounted to a total of £2.1m, McIngvale would have won a total of £9.7m had the fav obliged.
All was not lost for Mattress, though.
A shrewd businessman, he basically hedges his big bets on sales in his furniture store.
Deeply religious McIngvale offers customers promotions on furniture in his Texas shops if the favourite wins.
So although he lost the bet, his Gallery Furniture store covered the loss with its sales.
Speaking previously of his genius idea, Mattress said: “In this crazy age of Amazon retailing, if we don’t do something that sets us apart we’re going to be put out of business by the Amazon people or by people that sell these inexpensive mattresses in a box.
“The promotions are great for bringing people out. It’s fun.”
The overhead view pic.twitter.com/wo3rJE1LSO
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 8, 2022
Sonny Leon celebrates on shock 80-1 outsider Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby
