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The horse races were close to the disaster.
In the midst of the turbulence that the besieged sport is facing in the Triple Crown season, he may have taken a break at the Kentucky Derby.
When Maximum Safety drifted to his right in the last corner, his hind legs were almost entangled in those of War of Will behind him. This fault made Maximum Security the first winner of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified for interference in the 145 years of the race. But that's not what happened to a lot of people in horse racing.
"It was catastrophic if he had fallen," said Mark Casse, War of Will coach. "What has not happened is the most important thing in people's lives, for our sport and for everything."
Despite all the debate and presidential tweets about whether maximum security should be disqualified, the quick reactions of War of Will and his jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, prevented what could have been a fatal pile-up of horses. For a sport already moved by the death of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park and struggling for its very existence with the legalized game in the United States, a fall or multiple falls would have been far worse than the disappointing reality of a possible winner of the 2019 Triple Crown, even before the Preakness race.
A tragedy of this magnitude could have contributed to the fall of thoroughbred racing.
"If this horse had fallen and there were about 14 horses behind him, you could have seen just a pileup, which would have been awful for the business, the game, the fans, everyone," he said. jockey Frank Lovato Jr. retired. I said. "It could probably be one of the worst things that happens, even with what's happening with Santa Anita, in history, ever."
The industry was devastated by the death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby in 2008, but the fallout would have been much worse if half of the 19 horses in the race had fallen on national television with the biggest audience since 2001.
Death and the family went through Casse's mind when he saw the face of his friend Jose Ortiz aboard Tacitus not far from War of Will. Ortiz, his wife and two children had spent several hours with Casse and his wife, Tina, at their home in Ocala, Florida.
"I think two children could have been without a father," Casse said. "Tyler is a dear friend and many other friends who followed him followed him and my wife, who could have been killed."
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey agrees with Casse, saying it's sometimes a combination of luck and a brilliant horse that prevents a terrible scene on the track. A jockey usually has no more than 5 feet 6 inches and can not weigh more than 126 pounds – at the top of a 1,200-pound horse.
The athleticism of War of Will allowed him to avoid cutting his heels with maximum security in the slop of Churchill Downs. If it had not done so, it could have led to a heap-up like a car race, but without any protection for the animals or people on board.
"You're talking about a black eye for our sport: it would have been catastrophic," Bailey said. "One would have been enough to be catastrophic. I can not even imagine if there were more than one. And if you go down, there is a good chance that many more will go because no one has a place to go.
Casse said it was a "little miracle". War of Will finished the race safely and should be among Preakness favorites next week as Maximum Security and Derby's declared winner, Country House, will not run.
The margin of error was tiny for Casse and Gaffalione, who also pulled the horse up in the split second that he had to do to make a difference, even though it cost him a place among the first three. Through his agent, Gaffalione declined to comment on this story because of threats of prosecution by Maximum Security's owner, Gary West, about the disqualification.
Lovato said the quick and subtle reactions of all involved jockeys had averted a disaster.
"It's like someone suddenly comes into your lane and you have to press the brakes," said Lovato, who competed in 15,603 races. "Strangely enough, a rider may be more comfortable in a difficult situation than the horse. It's not the case, but it can work both ways. But when the ground is carried away like this, the riders reacted faster than the horses. If their riders have not responded, it is possible that the horses did not react until it was too late. "
Bailey, now an analyst at NBC Sports, said it was essentially a coin, whether the heels of the horses attached or not. But jockeys also prepare and trust their instincts in these situations.
"You really have no reaction time when it happens so quickly," Bailey said. "It's a critical point in all races, and you hope you do not have to stop the momentum of your horse completely."
The Kentucky Derby is the jewel of horse racing, a prize that everyone covets in the sport. Since the age of 10, Casse has always wanted to win the Derby, but there is no thought after this fear.
"It never bothered me to lose after the race and everything that happened," said Casse. "I was so happy and so delighted that he was fine that the rest mattered little."
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