Maximum security owners sue, seek to overthrow Derby DQ

Owners of Maximum security, the colt disqualified from a win in the Kentucky Derby, began his legal battle on Tuesday night to try to overturn a ruling that they said stems from a "strange and unconstitutional process."

In a lawsuit in a US district court in Frankfort, Kentucky, Gary and Mary West demanded that the stewards' decision be overturned and that the purse money – the winner of which received 1.86 million dollars – redistributed.

The defendants include the trio of stewards who made the unanimous decision to elevate Country House to the forefront after maximum safety escaped near the 5 / 16th pole at Churchill Downs and was deemed to have hampered his rivals .

In addition to the stock market money, the lawsuit indicates that Maximum Security connections have been denied "a professional achievement that any rider would cherish for life, plus the very substantial value that a winner of the Kentucky Derby has as a stallion. "

The West claimed that War of Will, who ran behind Maximum Security during the turn on May 4th, made contact with their colt, disturbing and provoking him. This defense did not work for the jockey Luis Saez, who was Sunday at assigned a 15-day suspension of stewards as an additional sanction after the disqualification of the day of the race.

The Wests also evoke the process by which stewards placed their call, including the stewards jockeys who spoke – and did not – 22 minutes into the race before making a historic call, the first time in 145 years old in Derby. winner was dropped because of interference.

The lawsuit indicates that neither the relations nor the public were immediately informed that, besides the objection of the jockey of the Country House, Flavien Prat, Jon Court, aboard Long Range Toddy, had also committed a fault.

"I think one of them has been deceived, but three speakers of the speaker have said that there was a fault claim," said Maximum Security coach Jason Servis last week. "I'm categorical, it's the truth."

According to the document, the stewards rejected Prat's objection but confirmed that of Court, which allowed Maximum Security to rank 17th, just behind Long Range Toddy. The West also claimed that the Court had filed an objection against War of Will and Tyler Gaffalione but had not spoken to this jockey.

These two bits are new information.

Ben Glass, Race Manager for the Wests, said last week that the Maximum Security camp was wondering if the guards had gone over The camera angles of NBC that they deem critical to exonerate the role of maximum safety in the turn.

"We say that because this runner (Gaffalione) did not commit a fault … that other incidents are irrelevant to us, because it was not us," added Glass.

The West initially tried to appeal the Stewards' decision through the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. They were denied a hearing because, by law, all decisions of shop stewards "will be final".

According to the lawsuit, this prevents riders from benefiting from due process.

Along with stewards Barbara Borden, Butch Becraft and Tyler Picklesimer, Marc Guilfoil, executive director of the KHRC, has been named as defendant in the Wests lawsuit.

Maximum Security, a New Year's Day son, sits in Monmouth Park, New Jersey, and will likely bypass the second and third legs (Preakness Stakes) and the third (Belmont Stakes) of the Triple Crown.