The ending to the 2019 Kentucky Derby was a costly one for anyone who bet on Maximum Security to win the race.
Bettors lost approximately $9 million after a controversial ending to the race, which saw Maximum Security get disqualified for interfering with other horses, according to betting statistics provided by online horse racing site TwinSpires.com (via ESPN).
Even though Maximum Security crossed the finish line first Saturday, Country House was awarded the victory after jockey Flavien Prat and Long Range Toddy jockey Jon Court filed objections over the result. Race officials reversed the decision after a review period that lasted longer than 20 minutes, marking the first time in the 145-year race history that a win was overturned in that way.
Officials conducted interviews with affected riders after the race to determine if the claims were true. They had unanimously agreed that Maximum Security drifted out and affected the progress of No. 1, War of Will, which resulted in interference with Long Range Toddy and No. 21, Bodexpress, according to The New York Times.
“Those horses were all affected, we thought, by the interference,” steward Barbara Borden Borden said. “Therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify No. 7 and place him behind the 18, the 18 being the lowest-placed horse that he bothered, which is our typical procedure.” That made Maximum Security the 17th-place finisher officially.
Maximum Security closed with 9-2 odds to win, while Country House had the second-longest shot of any Kentucky Derby winner at 65-1.
ESPN reports there was more than $6.2 million bet on Maximum Security. In comparison, only $520,907 was bet on Country House. There was also $1,495,408 bet on Maximum Security to place and another $1,272,082 to show.
"[We] went from a good-sized win to a good-sized loss," SuperBook sportsbook director John Murray told ESPN in a text message. "The SuperBook animal racing trade team is annoyed by the decision."