Kentucky Derby disqualification raises questi ... Country House, left, races against Maximum Security, second from right, on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Then the judgment part comes in: What to do about it.”. As much as we didn’t come in here looking to do that that day, we did our jobs and we were proud of that.”. When is Kentucky Derby 2021: Everything you need to know about the 147th Run for the Roses. TwinSpires handicapper Ed DeRosa estimates $121 million of the $132.4 million bet on the race changed hands as a result of the disqualification, and that 100 people bet on Maximum Security for every eight who bet on Country House. The Kentucky Derby media guide lists only five claims of foul and one race-related disqualification prior to the 2019 race. Kentucky Derby 2019: Race stewards on Maximum Security DQ. "Not sure if it has changed anyone's opinion that is holding a losing ticket when we go official, but a good thing nonetheless. Certified as a steward in 1993, Borden has also worked as a hot walker, groom, exercise rider, post parade rider, broodmare attendant, license office clerk, test barn sample collector, and identifier, verifying that the tattoo inside a horse's upper lip matches the code on its registration forms. "By the rule book, it's the right call," trainer Todd Pletcher said. As much as I loved playing the clarinet, I loved the racetrack a little bit more.". “You just develop a thick skin.”, Disqualifications and objections: Horse racing terms to keep you in the know for Kentucky Derby 2021. Before sending the signal formally disqualifying Maximum Security from the 2019 Kentucky Derby, the state’s chief steward spun her red swivel chair around to face her fellow officials. Why 2019 Kentucky Derby winner came from riders' objection (Apr 29, 2021) Country House came into the 2019 Kentucky Derby as a long shot and did this year's Kentucky Derby winner after a disqualification not long after the race concluded. pic.twitter.com/PeBAQXJwJb — Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) … "To see the pictures, I can't doubt what happened. What channel is Kentucky Derby 2021 on? Replay of the Kentucky Derby 2019, cut from the point of the infraction, which later led to the disqualification of Maximum Security, to the finish of the race. “We followed our regulations as they were written and were upheld in court. After being escorted to the parking lot following Derby 145, Borden remembers seeing the security guard slowly back away as she started her car, as if fearful it might explode. An objection review was filed by the team behind Country House, the number two horse. Shortly after the stewards began studying video, they received a radio transmission from outrider Lee Lockwood, notifying them of an objection lodged by Country House’s jockey, Flavien Prat. The Kentucky Derby media guide lists only five claims of foul and one race-related disqualification prior to the 2019 race. 2021 Kentucky Derby odds, predictions, bets, picks. She once aspired to be a jockey, as her brother became, but wound up pursuing a less glamorous but more comprehensive path to her present position. She looked at Brooks “Butch” Becraft and Tyler Picklesimer in the seventh-floor stewards room at Churchill Downs, reminded them there was no turning back, and asked, “Are we sure we want to do this?”, “I said, ‘This is a big thing and it’s probably going to be life-changing,’” Borden recalled. “I guess I didn’t think anyone would do anything. There was a controversial disqualification at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and pro golfers did not hesitate in reacting. Jockey Luis Saez, who appeared to have won the 2019 Kentucky Derby before a disqualification for interference, will ride favorite Essential Quality in … But though contact is common, formal complaints have been few. Sporting News tracked all the action live from the 2019 Kentucky Derby, with full race results and highlights following the "most exciting two minutes in sports." Country House Wins Kentucky Derby Via Disqualification THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (BETH HARRIS) May 4, 2019, 3:13 AM EDT Updated on May 5, 2019, 7:10 AM EDT “I know the stewards had a very very difficult decision... that being said, I’m damn glad they put our number up.”. The complete statement from chief state steward Barbara Borden regarding Maximum Security's disqualification in the Kentucky Derby. Last weekend was a tumultuous one in the world of horse racing.While all eyes turned to Churchill Downs for the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, fans and bettors were stunned when the unofficial winner, Maximum Security, was disqualified for interference, resulting in a 65-1 shot, Country House, taking the roses as the winner.. The disqualification of Maximum Security in the 2019 Kentucky Derby was unthinkable. Becraft and Picklesimer watched Derby 145 through binoculars from a balcony adjoining the small office where Borden followed the race on multiple monitors. Country House wins the 2019 Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security disqualified. She talks with authority and people listen to her. The official Kentucky Derby Twitter account tweeted after the race: “For the first time in 145 years, the horse who finished first in the Kentucky Derby was disqualified.”. A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision not to hear a lawsuit challenging the outcome of the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Dominique Yates/Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal, Everything you need to know about the 147th Run for the Roses, Horse racing terms to keep you in the know for Kentucky Derby 2021, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. She remains confident the decision was correct and appears unshaken by the blowback from critics and angry bettors. After objections, however, a horse named Country House, the 65-1 longshot, was officially named the winner. The review lasted more than 10 minutes and changed the end of the biggest annual moment in professional horse racing. ", "I was looking at the pictures and they were pretty incriminating," Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. The previous disqualification, in 1984, involved two horses that did not place. Unlike standard practices in other jurisdictions, Kentucky stewards typically review the replay of an entire race before making its result official. After the horse Maximum Security came in … The Kentucky Derby has disqualified its unofficial winner, Maximum Security, for an alleged infraction that occurred during the race—the first disqualification of this kind in the history of the race. Maximum Security was ultimately dropped from first to 17th place, behind the last horse he was deemed to have bothered, Long Range Toddy. Sat 4 May 2019 19.53 EDT. Still, that they had my home address was unsettling to say the least.”. After Maximum Security’s disqualification, Code of Honor finished second and Tacitus was third. For nearly two years following the 145th Derby, Borden’s public comments on the historic disqualification of the first-place finisher had been largely confined to the 103-word statement she reluctantly read to reporters that night and a terse summary in the stewards’ report to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). "There is no question he veered out and interfered with a couple of horses. We knew then we had interference. It was a process. “I watched the two views that we normally watch when we’re reviewing a race: the head-on and the pan shot together,” Borden said. Growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Mentor, Ohio, Borden was 5 years old when she and her brother David were given a Shetland pony for Christmas. “No one ever calls an objection in the Derby,” Baffert wrote. “I received mail at my house, at my home address, and some things were threatening: ‘You ruined the Kentucky Derby. “I guess we feel some vindication that we were upheld,” Borden said. It was a decision that had to be made and that stuck... “I knew when I took this job that it was going to be stressful at times. Him veering out into the path of several horses that were forced to check violates that rule. Country House, which became the first winner disqualified by interference in the race’s 145-year history, paid $132.40 to win — the second-highest payout in Derby history. The Kentucky Derby is the jewel in the crown of American horse racing, but the 2019 edition has been left plagued by controversy. Saez, a 27-year-old jockey with over 2,000 wins, won the Florida Derby on Maximum Security earlier this year. It was about then, “to lighten the moment,” she bent over a trash can and pretended to throw up. (After trainer Jason Servis was indicted in 2020 in a federal case involving performance-enhancing drugs, Maximum Security was moved to Baffert’s barn.). But with legal challenges exhausted and threats to her safety having subsided, the 61-year-old agreed to go on the record regarding the first Derby winner to be taken down for interference and the fallout that followed. “That was kind of dramatic at the time, I thought, but with some of the events that occurred afterward, it really wasn’t an overstatement.”. 65-1 Country House wins the Kentucky Derby after a disqualification of Maximum Security. The Kentucky Derby has disqualified its unofficial winner, Maximum Security, for an alleged infraction that occurred during the race—the first disqualification of this kind in … The 2019 Kentucky Derby was a total embarrassment to the sport and will be remembered that way for the rest of time. “I did see something happen in the turn, not conclusive at all, but noticed some horses, a couple of horses, checking in the turn. Last modified on Sun 5 May 2019 05.33 EDT . The previous foul claim was in 2001. As the review continued, a call came in with word of a second objection, this one from Long Range Toddy’s rider, Jon Court. “I think the Stewards, in my opinion, made the right call... if it was an ordinary race on a Wednesday they would have taken the winner down.”. In phone calls that sometimes lasted until 2 a.m., Guilfoil urged Borden to alert the police to the threats, but she declined. US president Donald Trump tweets his anger after Country House wins the 2019 Kentucky Derby following the disqualification of Maximum Security. Kentucky Derby 2019 Ends in Historic Disqualification, Country House Declared Winner There was a shocking conclusion to the 2019 Kentucky Derby! Kentucky Derby 2019 results: Country House named winner after Maximum Security is disqualified Relive complete coverage of the 145th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs By Cody Benjamin In another life, Barbara Borden might have been a musician. I have a way better view because of the monitors.”. Only one other horse has ever been disqualified as the winner. An accomplished clarinetist, she chose the racetrack over New York’s prestigious Juilliard School. It was a little weird to walk in here, but it didn’t deter me at all. "It seems to be a crowd-pleaser," Borden said. We made the decision, the three of us, that it was probably most appropriate not to answer questions knowing that we were likely to face a legal challenge.”. The first time we walked back in this (stewards) room after that happened was several days later. When asked, Mott refused to place blame for Maximum Security allegedly interfering with the path of other horses on the jockey, Luis Saez. “You always want to win with a clean trip... and recognize the athleticism of the horse... Due to the disqualification, I think some of that is diminished,” Mott said. ", Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714, Kentucky Derby: Inside the disqualification of a Maximum Security. “I really planned to go and I just didn’t go,” she said. “It’s always a roughly run race. The fact that (Maximum Security) was slightly in front is kind of debatable cause as they go around the turn there were horses right to his outside. It was just nasty.”. “I had my neighbors on Neighborhood Watch watch my back,” she said. Country House’s trainer, Bill Mott, answered questions about the disqualification during a winner’s press conference after the race. “I thought I had a passion for it, and I knew the music business as a professional is really, really cutthroat and really, really difficult. : Here's when it starts and how to watch. Some of the delay was due to the stewards watching the race from the five camera angles Churchill Downs provided; some to determining the appropriate order of finish after the decision was made to take down Maximum Security. Country House was declared the winner of the Kentucky Derby 2019 after Maximum Security was disqualified. Asked if race rules were possibly followed too closely, in light of the Kentucky Derby’s importance, Mott said he believed officials made the right decision. Still, if there was a general consensus among horsemen and industry experts, it was that the interference in Derby 145 was both blatant and dangerous. Country House was coming in hot for the lead as the horses ran into the stretch. Though Gary and Mary West attempted to reverse the disqualification through the KHRC, U.S. District Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, their efforts were effectively doomed by a Kentucky law that says stewards are responsible for "all findings of fact as to all matters occurring during and incident to the running of a race," and "findings of fact and determination shall be final and not subject to appeal.". Here's how it went down. “Luis is a friend of mine, he rides with me, my heart actually aches for them—I’ve been on the other end of this plenty of times, just not in the Kentucky Derby.”. We did our job. We got lucky that it wasn't worse.". — Sports ON Tap (@SONTHighlights) May 4, 2019 Maximum Security Disqualified From Kentucky Derby When the race wrapped up, Maximum Security appeared to have … Total handle on the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville was down 3.7 percent when compared to the total amount bet on the 2019 … Related The Kentucky Derby result was overturned by a replay review and fans lost it . Because boy was that controversial ending a joke. The only other Derby winner to be disqualified, Dancer's Image (1968), was penalized for a drug violation, but only after the race was declared official, the bettors had been paid, and decades before social media. Our other two stewards watching on the balcony, when they both came in, it appeared that they hadn’t seen anything live through their binoculars. She loves it still, though stewards can count on backlash whenever their rulings rile bettors. The previous foul claim was in 2001. “It helped us to see where the interference actually started, and that was with Maximum Security coming off the fence and out into the path of several horses that had to check. After Maximum Security crossed the finish line first, Borden told her colleagues she had seen something deserving of further scrutiny on the final turn. The three stewards rotate responsibilities. “I’ve been around the racetrack in one capacity or another for over 40 years,” she said. “She doesn’t get rattled. I don’t think Luis Saez did anything intentionally,” Mott said. Kentucky Derby: Jockey Luis Saez gets another shot after win, disqualification in 2019. Barbara Borden hesitated before she pushed the button. “Churchill asked us to have a press conference. She had met briefly with the media that night at the urging of Kevin Flanery, then-president of Churchill Downs, but declined to answer questions while conveying the comfort level, she now admits, of a “hostage video.” If this approach undermined confidence in the stewards’ decision, as had their failure to light the “inquiry” sign on the track’s tote board, that risk was calculated. Because of its large field — 19 horses on this day — the Derby often entails a turbulent trip through congested traffic. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a six-time Derby winner, texted Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden after Derby 145 to suggest the jockeys’ objections were overblown. I’ll never watch it again. “As we reviewed (the five videos) together, we saw from the backstretch camera the shot we were looking for; the shot that really showed the interference and how it occurred,” Borden said. Kentucky Derby 2019: Maximum Security got disqualified, Country House took first, but Twitter was the real winner The wild, controversial ending to the Kentucky Derby set Twitter ablaze With more than $9 million wagered on Maximum Security to win, place or show in the 2019 Derby — to say nothing of exotic wagers — the potential for problems was acute. After Maximum Security is disqualified, Country House wins the 2019 Kentucky Derby. “Churchill got bundles of mail — a lot of it positive, but a lot of it negative and a lot of it with some threatening content, to the point where they put an armed security guard on me for the remainder of the spring meet,” Borden said. This time, though, that review would span nearly 22 minutes and include interviews with three jockeys before Maximum Security was disqualified and Country House draped with the garland of roses. In a concession to transparency, Kentucky stewards have since started explaining the reasons behind disqualifications over tracks' public address systems. It was a little more than I expected, the fallout, but it didn’t deter me at all from wanting to come back. How Maximum Security Was Disqualified From the Kentucky Derby Stewards, who usually stay in the background, moved to the forefront and made race history by going to the … The review was called to determine if Maximum Security had bumped into Country House as the two horses were coming around the final turn. I have been wiped out numerous times, but that is the Derby.”, Baffert was not alone in dissenting from the decision — "Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur," President Trump tweeted — although Baffert's objectivity could have been compromised by his long association with Maximum Security’s owners, Gary and Mary West. “The rule says that a horse that is in the lead has the right to be anywhere on the track as long as he doesn’t interfere with, impede or intimidate other horses. “Within probably 30 seconds of making the race official, we received a phone call from the connections of (Maximum Security), asking about the appeal process, which made us start talking among ourselves,” Borden said. I’m never coming again. For the first time in 145 years, the horse that crossed the finish line first was disqualified, and the 65-1 longshot was declared the winner. After Maximum Security is disqualified, Country House wins the 2019 Kentucky Derby. 145th Kentucky Derby; Kentucky Derby: Grade I stakes race: Location: Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, United States: Date: May 4, 2019 () Winning horse: Country House (by disqualification) Winning time: 2:03.93: Final odds: 65–1: Jockey: Flavien Prat: Trainer: William I. Mott: Owner: Shields, McFadden & LNJ Foxwoods: Conditions: Sloppy: Surface: Dirt: Attendance: 150,729 The 2021 Derby will be Borden’s 10th as Kentucky’s chief steward, and she has so far shown no interest in an exit strategy. We had 44 résumés (for chief steward) and I strongly recommended her. War of Will’s trainer, Mark Casse, likened the race to following a drunken driver and said Maximum Security’s swerve had put the lives of other horses and their riders in peril. You killed it.’ There were expletives in there. 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