There’s some unfinished Kentucky Derby (G1) business for half a dozen relationships featuring 3-year-old thoroughbred horses taking part in the legendary May 6 race at Churchill Downs.
Some have seen their horses run first in the coveted first leg of the Triple Crown, only to be disqualified, while others have a degree of dissatisfaction after winning. won the Derby by disqualification, thus not being able to experience the excitement of the first game. -the-wire ends.
In the category demoted in the Derby were jockey Luis Saez and owners Gary and Mary West, whose horses Maximum security were relegated from 1st to 17th for interfering in the 2019 Derby. In contrast, in the camp were promoted coaches Bill Mott and Brad Cox and equestrians Flavien Prat and Florent Geroux. Mott trained and Prat rode Country house in 2019 when the managers raised the pony to first place as Maximum Security was disqualified, while Cox trained and Geroux rode mandalun promoted from 2nd to 1st in the 2021 Derby next February 2022 Medina spirit Officially disqualified for drug violations.
John Velazquez, who rode the Medina Spirit, also entered the race on Saturday regeneration but even with the disqualification, Medina Spirit still has three other wins for the Derby.
It all came back this year, looking for a more satisfactory conclusion, and in Wests’ case, the first in a Derby since the managers’ 2019 ruling, a ruling they have countered. in court without success. An appeals court ruled that “Neither Kentucky nor Fourteenth Amendment law authorizes the judiciary to second-guess the manager’s call.”
West declined to be interviewed — saying he no longer commented on his racing stables, questioning both Cox and racing manager Ben Glass — but on the day of the 2019 Derby disqualification was already underway. said: “It’s horse racing. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you win and lose in the same race.”
Gary West, who co-owns Maximum Security with his wife Mary (background), expressing their disappointment with their pony’s disqualification during the 2019 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
The Hit Show will be their sixth start, 30 years after Rockamundo gave them their first Kentucky Derby experience when they finished 17th in 1993. A decade later, Dollar Bill finished 15th in 2001 and High 20th Limit in 2005. Then 14 years off before Maximum Confidentiality and game winner raced for the Wests in the 2019 race, with the latter, their 2-year-old men’s champion the previous year, advancing to fifth.
Bob Baffert coached Game Winners for them, while trainer Jason Servis, who was later disgraced in a horse doping scheme involving his stables, started Maximum Security of Wests in the Derby. Thereafter, Wests and later co-owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith replaced Servis with Baffert as foal trainer in the second half of 2020 following Servis’ indictment and disqualification by the agency. suspension racing. Servis pleaded guilty late last year.
Like Maximum Security, Hit Show is the product of their breeding practice. Cox trained transparent gray candy ride the foal’s five-race career, marked this year by a win in the Withers Stakes (G3) and a runner-up in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), both in Aqueduct race track.
Cox said last week the Westerners, who reside in San Diego, California, were expected to head to Kentucky for the Derby.
Manny Franco hosted the train-driven Hit Show for the coach, who had three other Derby participants. For various owners, he also started angel of the empire winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and Risen Star Stakes (G2); Verification in progress , runner-up in last year’s Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and Champagne Stakes (G1); And Jace’s Road a small bet winner who finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) in his final start.
Geroux is on Jace’s Road, while Cox has given the mount on Angel of Empire to Prat and the mount on Verification to Tyler Gaffalione.
Cox hopes the Derby winning experience will be more gratifying if one of his runners finishes in the lead.
“Listen, winning the Derby really isn’t about the money, the wallet or anything. It’s the thrill of winning that you want to experience,” he said. “It’s not exciting to say you’ve won the Derby through a phone call that you’ve booked through DQ. The way I see it, it’s not something to be excited about. There’s no celebration. No. No winning image after the race.”
Signage showing Medina Spirit as 2021 Kentucky Derby winner replaced at Churchill Downs
Hall of Famer Bill Mott and Prat at least experienced the winners’ circle celebration in 2019 when Mrs. Joseph V. Shields Jr., EJM McFadden Jr. and LNJ Foxwoods’ Country house was declared the winner of the Derby after a nearly 22-minute investigation by the managers.
“Country House really came forward on Race Day. It was a big race he ran — he came in second,” Mott told journalist Jennie Rees of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Protection and Benevolence Association. “In fact, the horse that finished first was probably the best horse in the race. Perhaps there was no doubt about that, but it beat three other horses in the race and they had to knock it down. it. important.”
Videotapes
When asked if he felt as though he had won the Kentucky Derby, Mott paused, shrugged, and said: “Yes, yes, we won, but I want to run a horse and pass. finish line first, and we’ll keep going. to keep trying ‘until that happens.”
He did it this year with Frank Fletcher Racing Operations (G3) Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner and Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) runner-up. Missiles can . Intern Mott will add flashing lights for the Derby, in which regular driver Junior Alvarado will drive.
Prat shares Mott’s feelings. Besides Country House, three of the rider’s four other Derby mounts have been threatened, with Battle of Midway (2017) and Zandon (2022) display, and Charlie’s Hot Stick (2021) promoted from third to second.
“I’d love to win it, obviously crossing the line first,” he said. “But I’m grateful to have won (against DQ). You just hope for success in the Derby and hopefully we can get (another) game.”
Country House, under Flavien Prat, is covered with a wreath of roses after being declared the 2019 Kentucky Derby winner
Saez, second favorite this year Tapit Trice for Hall of Fame coach Todd Pletcher, it was 0-0-1 in the Derby from nine laps, a record that takes into account Maximum Security disqualification. Since 2013, he has raced every year in the Derby except for 2020, when the race was postponed until September due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Derby is a race that everyone wants to win,” he said.
Saez, who received a 15-day suspension for what his manager described as careless riding during the Derby, chose not to talk about Maximum Security and the 2019 race.
Maximum security led the way for most of the 2019 Derby, but is said to have stymied a number of opponents, including Long range Toddy , who finished in the original 17th place, as he neared the ramp, he dashed out onto their track. Playback videos and photos show Saez fixing his horse after the incident by pulling the reins to the left of Maximum Security, after which the horse returns to a more inward-facing position.
Saez has bounced back from the Derby defeat to maintain his status as one of the top drivers in the country, with Pletcher as one of his main supporters. Riding full time at Churchill Downs last fall, Saez dethroned Gaffalione to become the top driver of the meeting.
The Derby is arguably the hardest race to win in America, thanks to the strength of its opponents and the depth of the pitch with up to 20 participants. The most successful people in the industry consider themselves lucky to have achieved so much in that field.
“Hey, it’s one of the hardest races to win. Everyone’s going to tell you that,” Mott told Rees.
And can you win?
“In some unusual ways,” Mott said with a laugh.
