Shutterstock | Chrisstina Morgan

Lucky bettor wins $51,400 on two $4 superfecta bets after Maximum Security’s disqualification from the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Kentucky Derby Attendee Turns $8 into $78K

One man’s misfortune is another man’s winning superfecta. This probably won’t stick, but the 2019 Kentucky Derby’s emotional last hours did see the winner, Maximum Security, disqualified and the runner-up, Country House, stepping up to fill in.

For one Kentucky Derby fan the disqualification would amount to $78,000 out of two $4 superfecta bets. Each bet brought the lucky winner $51,400 pre-tax, which was later slashed to $39,065 to account for taxes.

Country House was moved up after Churchil Downs referees disqualified Maximum Security for fouling other contestants by getting in their track.

Commenting for Las Vegas Review-Journal, Race & Sports Book at The Mirage shift manager Scott Shelton said that the customer had been in shock at the news.

“He must’ve been a saint in a previous life running into buildings to get babies or something for everything to happen for him to cash those tickets.”

Country House was no-one’s favorite. Even prescient Jody Demling failed to call the long 65-1 odds for the horse. This is not surprising. Country House’s Kentucky Derby performance is the colt’s second victory in its career.

Maximum Security Costs Bettors $9 million

The value of the horse was $132 and one of the highest payouts in the Kentucky Derby’s history. The bettor put down the exact names and finishing positions of the first four horses to clinch a very solid ROI:

Country House

Code of Honor

Tacitus

Improbable

Maximum Security’s disqualification brought bitter disappointment to many punters with the calculated losses on the horse amounting to $9 million. Conversely, Country House’s winning bets amounted to $520,907 the newspaper reported.

The 2019 Kentucky Derby had known one too many upsets recently. First, Omaha Beach – the primed favorite had to skip the race followed by another contender, Haikal. It has been a trying season for horse racing, but for one lucky customer, the Saturday Derby brought in quite the reward.

With Maximum Security’s fate for Preakness sealed, we will hopefully not see another repeat of the Kentucky Derby’s debacle. Meanwhile, it’s unlikely that stewards would honor Gary West, the owner of Maximum Security, to revert their decision and reinstate Max as the rightful winner of the Derby.

Least of all, that would upset a few bettors. However, West is right to ask the question – were the hosts too greedy allowing 20 horses in the racetrack?