Top 5 Longshots I NEVER Saw Coming

We all have our favorite longshots…longshots make the game so great!  They can be both a good or bad thing.  Sometimes you have the longshot on your ticket and your payday is unimaginable.  Although, sometimes they kill you…and ruin your day.  Either way one thing is for sure: You never forget these crazy longshots!  Here are my personal top five most memorable longshots.  Feel free to comment or write us with you own!

1. Take Charge Brandi wins the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies at 60-1

Standing at the rail at Santa Anita I never dreamed in a BILLION years Take Charge Brandi could win this race.  I also never thought my wife would bet $10 to win on her at 60-1!  Both things ended up happening in what ended in a huge group hug filled with dudes and dudettes as Brandi crossed the wire.  Perhaps one of my favorite moments since getting into horse racing!

2. Mine That Bird Wins the Kentucky Derby at 50-1

So shocking even race caller Tom Durkin had no idea who the horse was as Calvin Borel skimmed the rail in the Churchill Downs slop to win the Kentucky Derby at 50-1.  I can remember watching the race at home and yelling “who the hell is that horse” as he zoomed past what looked to be a very tired rest of the field.  Somehow this unknown horse with a more than unknown trainer won America’s biggest race.  Wow…

3. Win Willy Wins the Rebel Stakes at 56-1

This was Racing Dude Jared’s first trip to the races!  On his initial trip to Hot Springs I rattled on and on about a horse by the name of Old Fashioned who was the leading contender for the Kentucky Derby heading into this race.  They were even selling buttons inside the grandstand with “Old Fashioned” on them…that shows the popularity of the horse!  Old Fashioned looked home free when turing for home, but Win Willy had other plans and closed FROM THE CLOUDS to upset the field at huge odds.  Win Willy went on to become a local legend at Oaklawn Park.

4. Danza Wins the Arkansas Derby at 40-1

This one stings still to this day.  The Dudes were sitting on a big time Pick 4 payoff heading into this race which was the final leg of the sequence.  We had every horse covered in the race…except for one.  That one horse was 40-1 Danza who had finished third in an allowance last time out.  Surely he couldn’t win what was a very strong Arkansas Derby right…WRONG!  Danza skimmed the rail and crushed the field to win by several lengths.  Lessoned learned…never leave off Pletcher.

5. Da Tara Wins the Belmont Stakes at 38-1

Big Brown was an absolute LOCK to win this race and win the Triple Crown.  There was no way he could lose…it just wasn’t possible.  WRONG AGAIN!  Da Tara who lets be honest…sucked…took the field wire to wire at huge odds to win the Belmont Stakes while Big Brown was pulled up and finished last.  A shocking finished that pleased many as several people did not want Big Brown to win the Triple Crown because of his connections.