One aspect of horse racing that can be confusing is why a horse has been disqualified from a race. Not only that, but a horse being disqualified can result in all sorts of things happening to your bets that aren’t clear if you don’t know the rules and regulations in place to deal with such an occurrence.
What happens to your bet if a horse is disqualified? Match Bets Bets are settled on the official result. If both horses finish in the same position, dead heat rules will apply. If one horse in a match fails to complete, or takes the wrong course, the other will be considered to have won the match. If neither horse finishes, bets will be void.
The question is, what happens to your bet when a horse you’ve had a punt on gets disqualified? The short answer is that you lose your stake . The long answer is that things are a bit more complicated than that depending on the bookmaker and the reason for disqualification .
There are numerous reasons why a horse may be disqualified from a race. These include but are not limited to: A horse running the incorrect course; Weighing in incorrectly after the race; Interference of various kinds; If your selection is disqualified, bets on it will be settled as lost. For more information, see our horse racing rules here.
Even if Medina Spirit is ultimately disqualified, it is unlikely that bets placed on the 2021 Kentucky Derby winning horse will be affected.
If ultimately disqualified, Medina Spirit would only be the second horse in the Kentucky Derby's nearly 150 year history to be stripped of winnings after failing a drug test.
UPDATE (2/21/22): The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) Board of Stewards disqualified Medina Spirit from the 2021 Kentucky Derby in a Feb. 21, 2022 ruling. As a result, the victory now goes …
For the second time in three years, horse racing’s most prestigious event has stepped in a pile. This isn’t like 2019, when Maximum Security was disqualified for interference. This year’s controversy is a horse of a different color.
Answer (1 of 6): They didn’t collect any winnings. No bets were paid off until the inquiry was finished, the disqualification was announced, the revised order of finish was posted, and the race declared official.