Kentucky Stewards Offer Explanation on DQs

A sixth-race disqualification on Kentucky Oaks Day marked what is believed to be a first at Churchill Downs: The chief state steward announced over the public address system and simulcast feed why the change in the order of finish was made.

"We're just trying to give everybody some insight into why we thought the DQ was warranted," said Barbara Borden, the chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. "The public was asking for it. The bettors were wanting more information."

The change is part of a transparency effort at Kentucky tracks stemming, at least in part, from the outcry following the disqualification in last year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), when Maximum Security was first to the wire but disqualified for interference, making Country House the winner. After that decision, the stewards only issued a short statement explaining the call.

On Sept. 4, Borden offered an explanation to the public of their decision to disqualify Lasting Legacy for interference in the stretch after he reached the wire first in the sixth race, an allowance-level test where he just edged Honest Mischief. Oddly enough, Lasting Legacy is owned by Gary and Mary West, who own Maximum Security with the Coolmore partners.

The stewards' decision to explain their call Friday at Churchill drew widespread praise on Twitter, including from Patrick Cummings, the executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, which has promoted transparency in racing in a number of areas.

Cummings, via Twitter, called it "an important step in the journey."

Stewards' announcements have been made in Kentucky at times, Borden said. In 2018, Turfway Park implemented explanations by Borden, something she said she also remembers her predecessor John Veitch having done there.

After the 2019 Derby, the commission urged the tracks to set it up, Borden said.

With COVID-19 altering the Kentucky racing calendar, the technology wasn't in place in the stewards' booth for the delayed spring meeting at Churchill. Keeneland's five-day summer meet had the technology in place, she said, but no disqualifications occurred. Borden said she made one disqualification announcement at Ellis Park during its meet.

Then on Oaks Day, a disqualification in race 3 was not explained, but Borden said that was a technical issue, which was fixed, before she made the announcement on the sixth race.

"We're hoping it's a longstanding thing," Borden said. "We're hoping for it to be. … Everybody's asking for more transparency, and that's what we're trying to do."

She also noted that the stewards' reports on the disqualifications are posted on the Churchill Downs website.

On the third-race disqualification, Borden said an inquiry was posted during the race. But other times, including the 2019 Derby, the Kentucky stewards typically do not post the inquiry sign.

"It's dependent on the situation" whether the inquiry is posted, Borden said.

In Kentucky, two stewards watch the race live outside while one watches on television monitors. Before they all sit down to watch the race again, Borden said the stewards are attending to duties such as identifying horses to be sent to the post-race test barn. Often, she said, an objection is relayed to the stewards by the outrider before the stewards go to watch the race. Borden said the Kentucky stewards watch the entire race together before posting official.

"The bottom line is the race is reviewed either way," she said. "We watch every single race from gate to the wire," before posting official.

The inquiry sign not being posted "doesn't mean we didn't see something," she said.