Perspective: The Kentucky Derby decision was a bad one. Country House never had a chance of winning.
By Andrew Beyer Andrew Beyer Bio Columnist May 6 at 2:13 PM When Churchill Downs’s stewards disqualified Maximum Security after his first-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, the decision might have seemed straightforward to many. The colt committed a foul when he crossed in front of War of Will on the final turn and caused trouble for two other runners as well. NBC’s slow-motion replays clearly showed the infraction.
Stewards disqualify horses when a foul has clearly affected the outcome of the race — or when it so egregious it eliminates other horses from contention. Even then, racing officials are often reluctant to take action in big races, just as basketball and football referees don’t want to decide the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl with a whistle.
When I watch races and make notes on them, I always try to estimate how much an incident of trouble cost a horse. In this case I estimated one length. The consequences of Maximum Security’s misdeed could have been catastrophic, but they weren’t. War of Will recovered quickly and resumed his chase of the leader. He had a virtually clear path ahead of him and a quarter mile in which to catch the favorite.
But because Maximum Security’s infraction did not affect the outcome, disqualifying the winner was a bit like deciding the NBA Finals on a foul away from the ball.
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