CRAWFORD | The Derby that will not end: the marshals leave the track in suspension at Saez | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The public seems set to let the controversial Kentucky Derby finish at a gallop. The sport itself, however, seems to want to whip.

Nine days after his colt, Maximum Security, was disqualified and ranked 17th after crossing the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby, co-owner Gary West pledged to sue, an effort much more important than the horse that would have been ranked first. .

And now, the maximum security jockey Luis Saez, who has not criticized the public too much for his horse taking at least several routes in Derby traffic, was suspended for 15 days by state stewards. , a decision that her lawyer has pledged to appeal to the state horse racing commission, she should also, and as the stewards have anticipated.

Frankly, the whole mess is regrettable and irreversible.

These facts are all true, most of us can probably agree:

Maximum Security was the best foal on the track on the first Saturday of May.

Maximum Safety ran the best race on the first Saturday of May.

Maximum safety on the right, compromising the Long Range Toddy breed and, in your opinion, the War of Will breed. As a result, Maximum Security committed a fault that could have affected the outcome of the race, even though few of us think that either of them would be compromising the maximum safety. day.

The stewards had the power to disqualify maximum security and followed the procedures set out in the Kentucky State Act to do so.

The owners, coaches and jockey of Maximum Security (as well as all the other horses in the race) signed a declaration when they applied for their license in Kentucky, agreeing to comply with the stewards' instructions.

The race, guys, is over.

Yes, I saw the NBC tape that Saez's lawyer had published, along with the sophisticated overlays and subtitles. The band is interesting. This shows that War of Will is getting closer to the leader and that there is potential contact between the two.

This is a limited and imperfect video. The angle does not provide the proper perspective on the paths occupied by the different horses. This is a nice try, but nothing close to "conclusive proofs".

But no video, including this one, shows a type of carelessness or carelessness on the part of a runner who deserves a 15-day suspension in a sport that typically provides for three-day suspensions for driving offenses, many of which are worse than this one.

Fifteen days, that's too much. Fifteen days are flagship titles. Fifteen days, forgive the expression, the major of Saez, Gary & Mary West and their lawyers. You could say that the guards have deviated too much from their path. Fifteen days are not likely to delay the upcoming call, and that may be part of the reason for the length of the suspension – a kind of pact art that will result in a six-day suspension after the call. .

Fifteen days send the message that an offense in the Derby is exponentially worse than an offense in another race. And you know what? That suits me. Because that's it. Do not pretend this is not the case. An accident in the Derby would be much worse than any other in the sport. There were 18 million people watching the Derby. This suspension sends the message that you'd better pay attention in this race if you ever had to pay attention.

All is well. These are all good and appropriate messages. But you can send them just as well with six days as fifteen, especially when almost all of the race's coaches, from Mark Casse to Bill Mott to Bob Baffert to Todd Pletcher, have stated that no suspension it was planned.

Instead, this suspension will certainly ignite passions, reinforce rhetoric and, even worse, for race officials of the state, to give the appearance of a kind of animosity. against the connections of this foal.

Look, it's all messed up and it's not going to be unscrewed.

From the second day, Flavian Prat – who had little pretense of obstruction – filed an objection with the stewards, who had to take into account the evidence they had. When Jon Court – who had sufficient grounds to object – filed his case, the case was concluded.

Luis Saez's lawyers said his maximum safety race that day was "flawless". I do not know if I would go that far. But the biggest fault did not come home during the tour. The biggest fault may have come after crossing the finish line. The recoil is still there, but if Saez himself, seeing two objections, had filed one of his – despite his victory – he would have clearly told the stewards to leave him in the front row. Maybe it would have made a difference.

What is not going to change things is go to court. The judges will not repeat the race. All these fine video points made by Team Maximum Security are worthless. The question before the courts is the authority of the stewards and the state of Kentucky to establish and enforce its rules for horse racing.

I hope Maximum Security wins the Kentucky Derby – not just because I chose it to win the Kentucky Derby. But he does not have it. You are not the winner unless your name is in the lead when the race is official. You are not the winner unless people can take their tickets and cash them. It stinks, but it has happened. He did not get fired. He compromised at least one horse, undeniably, and maybe two, depending on your interpretation of all the videos.

There is very little controversy about this around the trainers who have spoken since. It's disappointing, but life is full of disappointments.

And the most disappointing of all was the following. The lawyering up. The State Racing Commission did not give West what it considered to be an impartial hearing and overreacted during the suspension of Saez.

Maximum safety, coach Jason Servis said, had cuts and skips the Preakness. You know who else has had cuts after the Derby? To justify. I'm just saying.

Maximum security is undefeated, always. Nobody beat him in a race. Nobody has passed him in a race. But I can not consider it as big as some others unless it does what they've done. No Derby winner has jumped the Preakness in 25 years. Now, in a year, the connections of the winner DQ & D and the real winner have found reasons not to go.

Villa? Has a Kentucky Derby winner ever gone faster? I would say that he took the money and ran, but I do not think it's run at all since the Derby.

I respect the health problems that prevent the two foals from starting again two weeks after the Derby – just as I respect the decision made by the stewards.

But respecting and loving something are two different things. And there is not much to like in the Triple Crown series in 2019. It's a failure. The only real winners, it seems, could be the lawyers.

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