LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This has not been horse racing’s finest hour: Dead horses at Santa Anita Park and consternation among horse people that they can treat their athletes better but have failed to do so. It’s little wonder then that the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday ended in astonishment and controversy.
See, Maximum Security won America’s most famous race on the track. Until he didn’t. Yes, he crossed the finish line first, by all appearances remaining unbeaten and giving a hard-knocking trainer from the Mid-Atlantic, Jason Servis, and his up-and-coming jockey, Luis Saez, their first Derby victories.
But there was a problem — a big one. Maximum Security jumped a puddle on the rain-soaked track and slid to the outside, not only impeding the progress of a rival, War of Will, but also forcing that colt’s rider, Tyler Gaffalione, to squeeze his knees and wrangle the reins just to stay aboard.
“Leave it to the racing gods,” an increasingly anguished Servis said as he awaited the stewards’ decision after an objection.
After the racing stewards spent nearly 20 minutes looking at video, they decided the misstep was enough to disqualify Maximum Security and declare the runner-up, a 65-1 shot named Country House, the improbable victor.
It was not a popular decision. In fact, it was the brave one.
As officials studied video, the trainer of Country House, Bill Mott, was trackside and said on national television what horseplayers know, dread and curse on a regular basis.
“There was definitely a foul in the race,” Mott, a Hall of Famer, said. “If this was a maiden claimer on a weekday the winner would come down.”
He did, and Mott, a horseman revered among his peers for being “half-horse,” had his first Derby victory. The rider of Country House, Flavien Prat, also notched his first Derby score, an experience he was bemused by.
Maximum Security finished one and three-quarter lengths in front of Country House, and Country House finished three-quarters of a length in front of Code of Honor.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/sports/kentucky-derby-live.html
