If you bet on Maximum Security, a 9/2 favorite, to win the 2019 Kentucky Derby on Saturday night, you were feeling pretty good about yourself.
But soon, things shifted drastically.
After a riders' complaint, the race was reviewed and Maximum Security was ruled to have impeded other horses' progress. 65/1 long shot Country House was named the winner. It was the first time in the Derby's 145-year history that the horse who finished first was disqualified.
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NBC Sports Philadelphia's betting expert Brad Feinberg gave some insight into the unusual race and the devastating emotions for those who bet significant money on Maximum Security.
"It's the worst feeling in the world," Feinberg said in a phone conversation Saturday night. "It can feel like a borderline death in the family."
Feinberg thought the race would likely put many bettors on "tilt," or more likely to make an unwise bet to get back the money back they believed they'd won.
He also raised the question of bettors who may have ripped up their tickets for Country Horse immediately after the conclusion of the race.
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"I guarantee there were some," he said.
Though the ending of the 2019 Derby was unprecedented, Feinberg recalled a number of similar instances across sports.
He remembered the highly controversial Gold Medal Game for men's basketball at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when it twice appeared the United States had beaten the Soviet Union. The game was ultimately decided after an official protest by the United States, with FIBA ruling 3-2 against the Americans.
Other comparable events that came to mind for Feinberg were incorrect scorecards changing the apparent fate of major golf tournaments. Instead of entering a playoff, Roberto De Vicenzo lost the 1968 Masters by one stroke.
Feinberg also recalled "The Bluegrass Miracle," a 2002 college football game between Kentucky and LSU. Kentucky looked like the winners — head coach Guy Moriss had already received a Gatorade bath. Then LSU won on a 75-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Marcus Randall to wide receiver Devery Henderson.
"You feel like you were cheated," Feinberg said. "It seems like everyone is against you."