What happens to bets placed on Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit?

John Velazquez, aboard Medina Spirit, wins the Kentucky Derby.

Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby win is officially vacated after a positive test for betamethasone, but what about the bets cashed in on the victory?

The short answer is — nothing.

Even though Medina Spirit was disqualified, the stewards who threw him out said: "Pari-mutuel wagering is not affected by this ruling."

The last time a Kentucky Derby winner was disqualified for a positive drug test (Dancer’s Image, 1968), the Kentucky Horse Racing commission ordered Forward Pass, the horse that crossed the finish line second in the race, be considered the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby, except for pari-mutuel payoffs.

When Bob Baffert-trained filly Gamine was disqualified from her third-place finish in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, pari-mutuel wagering was not affected by the ruling.

Anyone with a winning ticket for Mandaloun, the horse that finished second in the 2021 Derby, won't be able to cash it in now that Medina Spirit is disqualified either.

Bob Heleringer, author of “Equine Regulatory Law,” told The Courier Journal when the owners of Maximum Security were attempting to overturn that horse’s disqualification as the 2019 Kentucky Derby winner that once a race is official, the betting results are final, regardless of mistakes by the track or an appeal.

He called it “one of the most irrevocable standards in racing” and said it is the law in every state.

“Those tickets will never be good,” he said of Maximum Security betting slips.

Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Medina Spirit betting: What happens to bets after Kentucky Derby DQ