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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The Kentucky Derby is over and no one is happy. Not the large, rain-soaked Churchill Downs crowd of 150,729 people, many of whom booed loudly when the final result was formalized. Not the supporters and connections of Maximum Security, who crossed the finish line first to become the 10th Derby winner.
Even Hall of Fame coach Bill Mott, whose Country House was elevated to first place after his jockey, Flavian Prat, made a mistake, led to maximum safety, dropping to 17th.
"Bittersweet" was the word used by Mott.
"I'd be lying if I said it's not the same thing," said Mott. "You always want to win with a clean trip and everyone recognizes the horse as a very good horse and the great athlete he is. I think that because of the disqualification, part of it is probably diminished. "
Probably. The # 1 lightly untamed in the Churchill Downs paddock 90 minutes after the announced.
"We became figure skating," he said. "You can not run? It's ridiculous. "
He pointed to Type # 2 slightly untamed.
"Look at him," he said. "He bet (maximum security). He is devastated. "
But you did not need to venture into the stands or into the paddock to hear doubts about the 22-minute stewards review that qualified a Kentucky Derby winner on the track for the first time in its history.
The 22-minute test on the track was surreal. I was right in it. As the minutes went by and the stewards examined the alleged charge against Maximum Security, the realization began to emerge with coach Jason Servis. In the circle of winners, the flowers had already been presented to the co-owner of Maximum Security, Mary West. They had to be taken back.
And everyone was standing there. A group of journalists and photographers around Servis. A group around Mott. Another around Prat.
Inside the stewards' office, a thorough investigation was under way. And it must be said, none of them seemed particularly happy with the work they felt obliged to do after watching several reruns. In fact, the stewards themselves did not send any inquiry.
Instead, Chief Commissioner Barbara Borden said after the race that the jockeys of two horses – John Court aboard Long Range Toddy and Prat – had filed suit for fault against maximum safety jockey Luis Saez after his horse escaped from inside last lap, forcing Long Range Toddy and War of Will to move back and putting them out of action. The war of will, said Plat, struck his horse. His jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, has not filed any complaint.
"We had a long review of the race," she said. "We interviewed the runners concerned. We determined that horse 7 was out and had an impact on the progression of War No. 1 (conflict of will), interfering in turn with horses 18 (Long Range Toddy) and 21 (Bodexpress). These horses were all affected, we thought, through interference. Therefore, we unanimously decided to disqualify the No. 7 and place it behind the 18, being the least well placed horse that bothered him, which is our usual procedure. "
Borden did his best to note that the conclusion was unanimous among the three stewards. Only two of the three are required for a request for misconduct to be granted.
Whether it's a tough race or an unfair race move will be debated for a while. Marty McGee, Kentucky's longtime correspondent for the Daily Racing Form, called the call "awful".
This decision from Maximum Security does not have a direct impact on Country House, so it's harder to swallow.
"The best horse won the race," said Jerry Bailey, Hall of Fame jockey, and NBC commentator on maximum safety as the stewards' investigation continued. This has often been an unofficial standard for whether an unfounded claim should be upheld, especially in a race of this magnitude.
Instead, Country House was named after the Derby winner in the Churchill Downs paddock, and Mott filled the only gaping hole in his CV in the Hall of Fame.
The 65-year-old native of South Dakota started training horses at the age of 15. His career is best known for leading the legendary Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races in the mid-1990s. He won 10 races of the Breeders & # 39; Cup and the Belmont Stakes, but the Derby had escaped him until After a long delay on a neglected circuit of Churchill Downs, surrounded by a group of journalists, Mott saw the name of his colt, Country House, flashing on the board in the infield.
"And here we are," he said, as he was led into the circle of winners.
Country House kicked off in the race as an unrepresented and underrated colt, whose last race was a third place almost 8 lengths behind Omaha Beach, which was the Derby's favorite until it was hit a few days before the race by an airway problem.
Despite the controversy, Mott was moved by the victory. In eight tries, he was empty in the Derby before taking away two, Country House and Tacitus, this year.
"It's pretty special," he said. "I guess until last year, I held the record here at Churchill Downs for the number of wins. And I think we've had that record for 32 years. So I cut my teeth here. Being in this position is a very special thing. My hope was always to come and run in the Derby. . . . Would I ever have imagined winning? Well, you still hope.
For Jason Servis, who thought he had won the Kentucky Derby for nearly 20 minutes with a $ 16,000 claim horse that has not yet been on the circuit and finished first in his career five races , the reaction was as hard as could be expected.
He acknowledged that his horse went out wide before the last corner. But he did not agree with the stewards' call.
"I do not think it changed the outcome of the race," he said. "It looks like something scared him deep down. . . . I feel bad for (Gary and Mary) West (the owners). . . . It's hard. He has not sunk yet, but he will. He dodged a bit, but when Luis put it on the ground, it was awesome.
"I have never put anyone in danger," Saez said. "My horse fled the noise of the crowd and maybe dodged a bit."
Already after the race, there was an indication that the result could be the subject of a call. The owner, Gary West, did not sign up, but informed the San Diego Union Tribune union of the possibility of appeal: "I have to study the film and review my legal options. nothing before two days, but I could. "
According to the book, stewards may have made the right choice. Horse racing is not the first sport to have controversial video replay. Even Mott acknowledged that for a sport that is under scrutiny for horse mortality and medication on race day, the flip on that opportunity will change the conversation.
"This will give a lot of topics for discussion for a long time," he said. "I mean that they're going to talk about the outcome of this race here until they run the next Kentucky Derby and the next 10 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Derbys. I mean, I would not be surprised if this race was broadcast on television again and again and again and again in a year. "
He is right. Whether it is an unfair game or a difficult race is an issue that will continue to be debated. The Kentucky Derby is a field of 19 or 20 horses. Horses are slammed, cut or worse every year. Traffic is one of them. The movement of Maximum Security at the head of the stretch clearly affected other horses. Could they have caught him on the stretch without it? These are the debates that have raged on all levels of the venerable trail, from the most expensive seats to marshland.
In the end, Country House paid $ 132.40 to win, for those who had the chance to bet it.
But apart from those, nobody left happy.
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
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