Maximum Security owners file suit over Kentucky Derby DQ
The Associated Press
Luis Saez rides Maximum Security, right, across the finish line first against Flavien Prat on Country House during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. Country House was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified following a review by race stewards. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In this May 4, 2019, file photo, Flavien Prat on Country House, left, races against Luis Saez on Maximum Security, second from right, during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Replay clearly shows the horse that finished first in the Kentucky Derby, Maximum Security, veering into the path of others. A 22-minute “inquiry” into the matter resulted in Maximum Security’s disqualification. Horse racing, the sport that practically invented the use of instant replay to adjudicate results on the track (the photo finish dates back to the 1930s), had been bitten by the technology it helped create. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Luis Saez rides Maximum Security across the finish line first followed by Flavien Prat on Country House during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. Country House was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified following a review by race stewards. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The lawsuit filed by Gary and Mary West on Tuesday in U.S. District Court says that stewards relied on insubstantial evidence and questioned a “bizarre and unconstitutional” process before and after the disqualification. Maximum Security crossed the finish line first on May 4 before being disqualified and dropping to 17th for impeding the paths of several horses. Runner-up Country House, a 65-1 shot, was elevated to first.
The KHRC last week denied an appeal of the disqualification and said that the stewards’ decision was not subject to appeal. The lawsuit says that due process was denied along with the $1.86 million winner’s share of the $3 million purse, including $186,000 each for trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez.
