Backstretch Abuzz Sunday With Kentucky Derby DQ

After the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the Churchill Downs backstretch is generally abuzz with speculation about which horses will go on to the next step along the Triple Crown trail, the May 18 Preakness Stakes (G1).

But this year, Preakness talk on a damp, cool May 5 morning took a backseat to the continued dialogue about the stewards actions the previous day, in which Maximum Security, the 9-2 choice crossed the wire first over a sloppy track, but was disqualified for interference and relegated to 17th in the 19-horse field.

Longshot Country House, who finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Maximum Security, was awarded the victory, with his win payoff of $132.40 the biggest in Derby history. Code of Honor was moved up from third to second as a result of the DQ.

HAMMONDS: Country House Awarded Kentucky Derby Via DQ

While the decision was a hot topic on social media, with opinions generally split between whether the right or wrong call was made, there was general consensus among veteran horsemen that the regulators got it right.

"They made a tough call, rather than just letting it ride," said Shug McGaughey, Code of Honor's trainer. "You always hear 'they're not going to take a horse down in that big of a race.' My initial reaction was 'nothing is going to happen' but the longer I stood there on the track the more I thought something was going to happen.

"I saw some pictures of it on Facebook and if those were true to everything I think they made the right call. It was tough break. To win the Derby and get that high and then go to that low in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes and to have to stand there and wait through it..."

McGaughey said owner-breeder William S. Farish would likely leave it up to the trainer on whether to contest the Preakness with Code of Honor.

"If I think this has taken its toll a little bit, then I will pull the plug and say let's point to something else," he said of the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) winner. "I've never won the Preakness and would love to win the Preakness, but I don't want to do it at the expense of the horse. He seems to be fine today. From all signals, he's still kind of young in what he does and as we go down the line he could get even better."

Despite what happened during and after the race, trainer Mark Casse said he felt lucky that War of Will was fine Sunday. Gary Barber's War of Will, was running third when the interference occurred and finished seventh.

"As much as I want to win the Kentucky Derby, I feel a lucky man today because just got him out and jogged him and he's perfect," Casse said. "The horse racing (industry) is lucky War of World is such an athlete. Not every horse doesn't go down there. If (War of Will went) down, horse racing would have been in the worst shape ever."

"Should he have come down? Absolutely positive," Casse said. "After watching it a few times, I knew they were going to take him down. It doesn't matter whether it's the Kentucky Derby or not. He put horses' lives in danger. He put jockeys' lives in danger. It's unfortunate because I don't know what (Maximum Security) shied from."

Casse said it was immaterial to the discussion of the disqualification's legitimacy that Tyler Gaffalione, War of Will's rider, did not file an objection after the race.

"I didn't really realize what happened," Casse said of his view of the race. "Tyler came back and he said 'I almost went down.' I said 'I'm not going to claim foul.' If we had finished fourth or third or second, we would have been claiming foul in an instant.

"If I claim foul on my friend and he has just had the biggest accomplishment in life and the only thing that is going to do is move me up to sixth, would you claim foul? No," he continued.

The Preakness is likely for War of Will.

"As long as he's happy and healthy we'll probably go to Baltimore," Casse said. 

Pletcher also said the stewards' decision was the correct call, made even tougher because it involved the biggest and most prestigious race in North America.

"To me the message that we can draw a positive from is that at the absolute biggest moment in the game, they made the toughest call," Pletcher said. "I don't envy their position. By the rulebook it's the right call. There is no question he veered out and interfered with a couple of horses."

Pletcher said Starlight Racing's Cutting Humor (11th in the Derby) and Wertheimer and Frere's 16th-place finisher Spinoff appeared to be fine Sunday morning but was noncommittal on Preakness plans. He said the rain immediately before and during the Derby created track conditions not suitable for Spinoff.

"I was a little concerned about that earlier in the week when we galloped him over a sloppy track and I could tell he didn't seem as enthusiastic about it as Cutting Humor," Pletcher said. "We'll get back to New York and give it a week before I give any real strong consideration."