"Country House" was declared winner of the Kentucky Derby after "investigation, decision"; Maximum safety disqualified, say officials

Country House was declared the winner of the 145th edition of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, following a "decision to investigate" and disqualification of maximum security, officials said.

Disqualification scored "the first time in 145 years" that "the horse that finished first in the Kentucky Derby has been disqualified" the official Twitter account for the sporting event said.

Country House was 65-1 long in the race with 18 other competitors. Maximum safety, who crossed the finish line first, was disqualified after objecting that she was hindering the course of several horses.

The objection was filed and the stewards took about 20 minutes to review the race from several angles before declaring Winner Country House. The jockey of the horse, Flavien Prat, celebrated while the arrival was announced to the surprise crowd of 157 729 people.

Code of Honor was second, Tacitus third.

Before the start of the race, heavy rains led to the decommissioning of the main runway, which went from fast to slow. The forecast bad weather had arrived about three hours before the later hour. The rain fell as the race time became tighter, which was a difficult trek for the handlers and connections as they walked from the back barn area to the front stretch.

Earlier this week, Omaha Beach – the favorite of the time to win the Kentucky Derby – had been wiped out of the competition due to a breathing problem.

Trainer Richard Mandella told the Associated Press that the horse had contracted a cough and that a subsequent veterinary examination had shown that the colt had a trapped epiglottis. This is not usually a threat to life or career and is usually corrected by minor surgery.

This is a story in development. Please check again for updates.

Associated Press contributed to this report.