Online wagering service to offer refunds after Derby DQ

The Associated Press

6 years ago

Flavien Prat ride Country House, left, to the finish line during the 145th running of the Kentu ... — Flavien Prat ride Country House, left, to the finish line during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. Country House was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified following a review by race stewards. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Flavien Prat celebrates after riding Country House to victory during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bettors who wagered on Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby only to see the colt get disqualified for interference will receive refunds.

Twinspires.com, Churchill Downs’ online wagering service, tweeted that it will give back up to $10 to anyone who bet on Maximum Security to win in Saturday’s Derby.

Have you heard?!! We're refunding win bets on Maximum Security in the @KentuckyDerby. Here's what our @EJXD2 & @VPHanson thought of the DQ plus some early @PreaknessStakes thoughts pic.twitter.com/ur9YPIECAq

— TwinSpires.com (@TwinSpires) May 5, 2019

The company said $6,212,046 was bet on the colt to win. Maximum Security also had $1,495,408 bet to place and $1,272,082 wagered to show, so the disqualification cost those bettors about $9 million.

Country House, a 65-1 shot, was moved up to first place from second. The colt paid $132.40, $56.60 and $24.60.

Twinspires.com says $520,907 was wagered on Country House to win.

A $2 exacta wager — involving horses finishing first and second — paid $3,009.60. A $1 superfecta bet — involving the first four horses — returned $51,400.10.

Churchill Downs said wagering on the Kentucky Derby increased 10% to a record $165.5 million, surpassing the old mark of $149.9 million set last year. This year’s wagering included $4.1 million bet in Japan, the first time the Derby was offered for wagering in that country. Master Fencer, the first Japan-bred to run in the Derby, was sixth.

The track said wagering from all sources on the 14-race card totaled a record $250.9 million, up 11% over last year’s total of $225.7 million.

The attendance of 150,729 was down 4% compared with last year, with the forecast of all-day rain keeping fans away, although the heaviest rain didn’t fall until about an hour before the Derby was run.