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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky Derby had been run for 144 years before Saturday, the results ranging from tour de forces by all-time greats, and upsets by improbable longshots, on days when the sun shined bright on the old Kentucky home, and when it rained as though Noah’s Ark would come sailing down the stretch.

In that time, a winner had been disqualified for a post-race medication violation, and another had been disqualified from fourth to fifth for bothering a rival in the race. But not until Saturday was the original winner disqualified for an incident that happened in the race.

Maximum Security now holds that inglorious title. He led the 145th Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs from nearly start to finish, but was disqualified by the stewards and placed 17th after being ruled to have interfered with several rivals, including Long Range Toddy, the original 17th-place finisher, when he ducked out 550 yards from the wire while on the lead.

The beneficiary of the stewards’ decision was Country House, a 65-1 shot who had crossed the wire second but was promoted to first when the ruling was announced long after the race ended. If the Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports, the time it took the stewards to render a decision was the most agonizing 22 minutes in sports.

The stewards – Barbara Borden, Tyler Picklesimer, and Butch Becraft – came to the media room more than two hours after the Derby, after the last of the day’s 14 races, and read a statement but took no questions.

Borden, the chief steward of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, read the statement. She said the decision was unanimous. She said both Jon Court, aboard Long Range Toddy, and Flavien Prat, aboard Country House, claimed foul against Maximum Security and his jockey, Luis Saez.

She said the stewards determined that Maximum Security “drifted out and impacted the progress” of War of Will, “in turn interfering” with Long Range Toddy and Bodexpress.
“Those horses were affected, we thought, by the interference,” the statement read.
Borden said Maximum Security was placed behind Long Range Toddy because he was “the lowest-placed horse that he bothered, which is our typical procedure.”
The only previous horses disqualified in the Derby were Dancer’s Image, who had the 1968

Derby win taken from him owing to a medication violation, and Gate Dancer, who was moved from fourth to fifth in the 1984 Derby.

The decision was a crushing blow for Saez, trainer Jason Servis, and owners Gary and Mary West, all of whom would have won the Derby for the first time had Maximum Security stayed up.

Instead, first-time Derby laurels were bestowed upon Prat, trainer Bill Mott, and the ownership group of Maury Shields, Guinness McFadden, and the LNJ Foxwoods Stable of Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth.

“It feels pretty darn good,” said Mott, a Hall of Famer who admitted it was a “bittersweet victory.”

“I’d be lying if I said it was any different,” Mott said. “You always want to win with a clean trip and recognize the horse as the great athlete that he is. I think due to the disqualification some of that is diminished.

“That being said,” Mott added, “I’m pretty damn glad they put our number up.”

Mott said that the magnitude of the race should not impact the decision.

“If it was an ordinary race on a Wednesday, I think they would have taken the winner down,” he said.

Saez, while waiting for the decision to be announced, said Maximum Security “got scared from the crowd.” He said he realized Maximum Security was trying to drift out, but he grabbed him “right away.”

“I don’t feel like I bothered anybody,” he said.

Servis, after the decision was announced, said that he was worried because of how long the inquiry was taking.

“It’s not good that it took that long,” he said.

“Right now I’m kind of OK,” Servis said. “I’m sure tomorrow I might not be.”

The incident that led to the disqualification occurred as the horses were nearing the end of the far turn, at approximately the five-sixteenths pole. Maximum Security was on the lead, and War of Will, who had been following him, started to come between he and Long Range Toddy, who had been just to the outside of Maximum Security. Country House was rallying outside all of them, in the four or five path.

Maximum Security ducked out, going to about the four path, and for two strides War of Will’s front legs were precariously between Maximum Security’s hind legs. War of Will checked, as did Long Range Toddy, who had been under a ride at that point to keep up. Country House was outside the commotion, and Code of Honor – who had been behind War of Will entering the far turn – seized the opportunity to slip up the rail and actually poked his head in front for a stride a quarter-mile out.

After straightening away in the lane, Maximum Security held his line, with Code of Honor to his inside, War of Will to his immediate outside, and then Country House farther out.
War of Will was the first to yield, but hung in there until the final sixteenth before fading to eighth. Code of Honor finished steadily, but never could get past Maximum Security. Country House was the biggest danger to Maximum Security through the final furlong, but he could not get past him either.

Maximum Security crossed the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front of Country House, who was three-quarters of a length in front of Code of Honor. Tacitus, a second entrant trained by Mott, was the original fourth-place finisher, three-quarters of a length behind Code of Honor. All three got promoted one spot when Maximum Security was demoted, giving Mott the first- and third-place finishers in the race.

After Tacitus, who officially was third, the remaining final positions, in order, were Improbable – who went favored at 4-1 – then Game Winner, Master Fencer, War of Will, Plus Que Parfait, Win Win Win, Cutting Humor, By My Standards, Vekoma, Bodexpress, Tax, Roadster, Long Range Toddy, Maximum Security, Spinoff, and Gray Magician.
Omaha Beach and Haikal were scratched.

Nearly all the fractions – as well as the final time – belonged to Maximum Security. He ran the opening quarter in 22.31 seconds, the half in 46.62 seconds, and six furlongs in 1:12.50. Code of Honor was in front after a mile in 1:38.63, and Maximum Security recorded a final time of 2:03.93 for 1 1/4 miles on a track that was rated sloppy following steady afternoon rain that lasted until nearly post time.

Maximum Security was the second choice in the race at 9-2. Country House was the 18th choice of the 19 runners. Country House paid $132.40 for $2 to win. He is the second-longest shot to win the Derby, behind Donerail, who was 91-1 in 1913.

Country House, a colt by Lookin At Lucky, was bred by Shields’s late husband, Joseph V., who died in October. Country House raced six times prior to the Derby, with just one win, that in a maiden race at Gulfstream in February. Saez rode him that day.

Country House then finished second in the Risen Star, and fourth in the Louisiana Derby, both with Saez up. At that point, Country House needed additional points to make the Derby, so Mott ran him in the Arkansas Derby on April 13, with Joel Rosario up. He finished third that day, behind Omaha Beach and Improbable, gaining enough points to make the Derby field.

But he still needed a rider, as Rosario was committed to Game Winner, and Saez to Maximum Security, who had won the Florida Derby on March 30 for his fourth win without a defeat.

Mott waited for some dominoes to fall to find a rider. A few days after the Arkansas Derby, Mike Smith – who had won the Arkansas Derby on Omaha Beach – chose that colt for the Derby over Roadster, whom he had ridden to victory in the Santa Anita Derby.
Both Richard Mandella, who trains Omaha Beach, and Bob Baffert, who trains Roadster, had made contingency plans in case Smith did not choose their colt. Mandella’s option was to go back to Prat, who had ridden Omaha Beach in his first five starts. But when Smith took Omaha Beach, and Baffert put Florent Geroux on Roadster, Prat was, for a moment, without a mount.

It had been a challenging few weeks. Prat had given up Omaha Beach to ride Galilean when it looked like both would end up in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 16. Smith took the mount on Omaha Beach, and even though they ended up in different divisions of the race when it split, Smith had the mount.

Yet that fateful decision by Prat kept him from being named on Omaha Beach for the Derby, and likely sitting the race out when Omaha Beach scratched. Prat wound up on Country House after Mott came calling to Prat and his agent, Derek Lawson.
“It turned out I made a poor choice,” Prat said of taking Galilean over Omaha Beach, “but it turned out great.”

For him, not for the connections of Maximum Security.

“They’ll be speaking about the result of this race until they run the next Kentucky Derby and 10 Kentucky Derbies and 20 Kentucky Derbies,” Mott said. “But I’m gonna take it.”

– additional reporting by David Grening

This story originally appeared on DRF.com.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Racing, as those associated with Omaha Beach found out this week, can be awfully cruel. His trainer, Richard Mandella, is the kind of person who is acknowledged as deserving of a Kentucky Derby victory, the most glaring blank spot on a glittering résumé that has led him to the Hall of Fame.

Shug McGaughey, cut from a similar mold as Mandella, ticked off that box in 2013 with Orb, a Derby victory that seemed right and just. Owing to the scratch on Wednesday of Omaha Beach – the original morning-line favorite for the 145th Derby on Saturday here at Churchill Downs – Mandella will have to wait for another opportunity. But there’s never any guarantee of getting that chance.

Bill Mott, 65, fits neatly into the same category from which McGaughey, now 68, escaped six years ago, and in which Mandella, also 68, still resides. Their careers are remarkably similar and intertwined.

All three are in the Hall of Fame.

Mott has 10 Breeders’ Cup wins to nine for both Mandella and McGaughey.

And all three ran a horse in the Derby for the first time in 1984. Mott has had eight Derby starters over the years, McGaughey seven, Mandella six.

Mandella won’t get a chance Saturday. Mott, though, will get two.

He sends out Tacitus, winner of the Wood Memorial, and Country House, third behind Omaha Beach in the Arkansas Derby. He has the experience from prior Derbies, and from seeing what unfolded with Mandella and Omaha Beach this past week, to know nothing is guaranteed. Not even getting to the race, let alone winning it.

“I’ve been there, and left with my tail between my legs,” Mott said. “I’m happy to be here, but I know what can go on. I’m excited. I feel good.”

He should. For a kid who hailed from tiny Mobridge, S.D., whose only initial connection to the sport was that his father subscribed to racing periodicals, Mott is appreciative of where he is today.

“The first time I remember listening to the Kentucky Derby was 1967,” said Mott, who was 13 at the time when Proud Clarion won with Bobby Ussery. “We had hauled horses in a truck to the races at Fort Pierre, South Dakota. I was sitting in the truck listening to the race.

“All the Derby was then was a voice on the radio. ‘Bobby Ussery bouncing around,’ I remember the announcer saying. I couldn’t imagine being at Churchill Downs, never dreamed of it. It was like going to New York. Or Egypt. It was another world.”

For Mott to prevail, he will have to beat the Derby’s reigning champ, Bob Baffert, who sends out the trio of Game Winner, Improbable, and Roadster in quest of a record-tying sixth Derby, and McGaughey, who seeks to double his Derby win total with Code of Honor.

This is a Derby, though, that is perceived as having a number of other top contenders, making this, on paper, a far more interesting Derby than recent vintages where there appeared to be a clear, strongly favored standout.

“Whoever gets the trip is gonna win it,” Baffert said.

The scratch of Omaha Beach has left Game Winner the favorite on the lines of both Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form’s national handicapper, and Mike Battaglia, who makes the line at Churchill Downs. But he is a lukewarm choice, 5-1 on Watchmaker’s line, 9-2 with Battaglia.

Complicating matters is a National Weather Service forecast that is calling for a 100 percent chance of rain and a high of just 66 degrees Saturday. Game Winner, a son of Candy Ride out of an A.P. Indy mare, is bred to like an off track, but he’s never raced on one.

Omaha Beach had drawn post 12, so all the horses who drew outside him move in one slot, including Bodexpress, who was the lone also-eligible at entry time Tuesday but has now drawn into the race.

The field was reduced to 19 on Friday when Haikal was scratched owing to an abscess in his left front foot, according to his trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin. Churchill Downs starter Scott Jordan said that with a field of 19, the runners would be loaded into stalls 2 through 20, with the inside stall in the starting gate left vacant. So, essentially all horses drawn inside of Haikal will now move out one slot. Betting numbers are not impacted by these changes.

Also Friday, Mike Smith — who was to ride Omaha Beach — was named to replace Corey Lanerie on Cutting Humor, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. Cutting Humor is owned by Starlight Racing, which was partners last year on Justify, whom Smith rode to a Triple Crown sweep. When situations like this occur, the jockey who is replaced is entitled to a share of the purse equal to what the rider who replaced him earns.

Tacitus has won three straight races after losing his debut. Jose Ortiz chose to ride him over Improbable, whom he rode to a second-place finish in the Arkansas Derby.

Country House is a big, strapping colt who has made steady progress but will need a leap forward to pull off the upset.

Game Winner was narrowly beaten by Omaha Beach in a division of the Rebel and stablemate Roadster in the Santa Anita Derby. He captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile here and acts as though he is well suited to the 1 1/4 miles of the Derby.

Improbable acted up in the gate before the Arkansas Derby and was second best on the day. He wore blinkers that day for the first time. They are being removed for this race.

Roadster is 2 for 2 since returning from a six-month layoff following throat surgery. Mike Smith two weeks ago chose to ride Omaha Beach in the Derby instead of Roadster.

Florent Geroux picked up the mount on Roadster.

Code of Honor was compromised by a slow pace in the Florida Derby, in which he finished third. He won the Fountain of Youth in his previous start.

Maximum Security and Bodexpress took advantage of that paceless Florida Derby to run one-two the whole way around. Maximum Security is trained by Jason Servis, but he is owned by Gary and Mary West, who also own Game Winner, giving them chances with horses whose styles complement one another.

Maximum Security could have company early if War of Will can extricate himself from his inside draw. His trainer, Mark Casse, said he will be sent from there.

By My Standards comes off an upset win in the Louisiana Derby and has trained as well or better than any horse in the race in recent weeks.

Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner, sends out Spinoff, the Louisiana Derby runner-up, and Cutting Humor, winner of the Sunland Derby.

Vekoma’s paddling action might be right at home if he needs to swim through slop Saturday. He comes off a victory in the Blue Grass over Win Win Win, who ran into traffic on the far turn but still rallied for second.

Tax chased home Tacitus in the Wood, but got a relatively clean trip in what was a roughly run race.

Long Range Toddy, who beat Improbable in a division of the Rebel, regressed last time, finishing sixth in the Arkansas Derby when racing for the first time on an off track.

Plus Que Parfait and Gray Magician were one-two in the United Arab Emirates Derby, which appears to be one of the weakest of the final round of preps.

Master Fencer has traveled from Japan, his presence a boon to Churchill’s bottom line since Japanese markets will now be involved, but on form he appears overmatched. He is the only horse in the race not using Lasix.

The Derby goes as race 12 on a 14-race card that begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Post time for the Derby is approximately 6:50 p.m. The Derby is preceded by six other graded stakes, three of them fellow Grade 1s, including the Churchill Downs for sprinters, the Humana Distaff for female sprinters, and the Old Forester Turf Classic for older grass runners like Pegasus Turf winner Bricks and Mortar.

The Derby will be shown live on NBC Sports, and is being broadcast by the Horse Racing Radio Network.

– additional reporting by David Grening

This story originally appeared on DRF.com. 

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Haikal, the Grade 3 Gotham winner and third-place finisher in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, will scratch from Saturday’s $3 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs due to an abscess on his left front foot, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Friday morning.

Haikal joins morning-line favorite Omaha Beach as horses that were scratched from the Derby after entries were made on Tuesday. Barring any additional scratches, the Derby will go with a field of 19. The rail post will be left open and horses will be loaded in post positions 2 through 20. Haikal and Omaha Beach had drawn posts 11 and 12.

The abscess was first detected on Wednesday. Haikal was tubbed with hot water and Epsom salts to try and resolve it. He did not train on Thursday.

On Friday morning, a blacksmith reshod Haikal’s left front foot. Haikal jogged on the road for a few strides, but he was noticeably off, according to McLaughlin, and did not train over the sloppy track.

“He’s just not right and the situation’s not right,” McLaughlin said. “The horse comes first and we’ll send him right home to Lexington today. His issues aren’t resolved.”

McLaughlin said Haikal would be shipped to Shadwell Farm in Lexington, Ky., and “he’ll be there for awhile.”

“Let’s go over him and get him sound and see what’s up,” he said. “The sad thing is he’s never missed a day of training until yesterday.”

Though Haikal was listed as 30-1 on the morning line, McLaughlin said the horse deserved a chance to run in the Derby.

“It’s very disappointing for all of our team and Shadwell, and he’s a homebred and it’s a neat story,” McLaughlin said. “Hopefully, we’ll have some success later in the year.”

While McLaughlin did not specify any races, one logical target for Haikal would be the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on at Saratoga on Aug. 24. That race is at seven furlongs around one turn. Haikal is 3 for 4 in one-turn races, including victories in the Jimmy Winkfield at seven furlongs and Gotham at a mile.

In a bit of a quirky stat, Haikal is the third third-place finisher from the Wood in the last nine years to scratch from the Derby after entries were made. Uncle Mo (2011) and El Kabeir (2015) were the others.

This story originally appeared on DRF.com. 

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