Photo from Google Images
The week of the derby was headlined by protesters who think that the sport is animal cruelty and how 23 horses have died in California’s Santa Anita Park since December 26th 2018. The track was closed for three weeks while the owners investigated. The track re-opened with limited use of whips and banned almost all medications on race day. And then another horse died just two days after the track resumed racing. Some experts say that the amount of rain and the track conditions are partly to blame.
I was under the impression that rainy, muddy track conditions help the horses in the front of pack and that those horses do better. But those horses in the back of the pack are dealing with the heavy mud flying in their faces and the more horses racing, the worse it is. I think racing on a muddy track would be like a girl trying to run in the sand while wearing 5-inch stilettos. All that weight on a skinny 5-inch heel that is being sunk into the sand sounds like a lot girls taking their heels off to finish the race. I’ve never understood how horses are two thousand pounds can physically have the tiniest little ankles. I mostly blame their anatomy.
The first Saturday in May arrived and the 145th Run for the Roses will go down in history. For the first time in the history of the Derby, the horse that crossed the finish line first, was disqualified. Maximum Security won the race and my mom began to celebrate another St.Clair family bet victory. But after a very confusing 15 minutes, Country House was crowned the Derby winner. What a horrible way to win the Derby!
We quickly learned that touching another horse is frowned upon! You cannot run a screen play, block, bump another horse while racing and you must stay in your lane. Who knew that there was a “stay in your lane” rule? In NASCAR they are swerving all over the track for the entire race. This isn’t a track and field event where there are clear lines to identify each competitor’s lane. How do you expect these huge animals to identify a “lane” when the track is a muddy, soggy mess?
You mean to tell me that THIS is the first time a horse has ever “bumped” into another horse or didn’t run on a perfect line? No bleeeeeeping way! This has to be the biggest Maximum Security breach in history! Was someone from Russia a replay judge?
This outcome will cheapen the Preakness and the Belmont. Unless Country House wins the triple crown; attendance, betting and TV viewership will all be down. But it was announced today that Country House will not race in the Preakness Stakes according to his trainer, Bill Mott. This will be the first Kentucky Derby winner to miss the Preakness since Grindstone in 1996.
Maximum Security was the favorite to win the Derby and technically, he did win, but in the end, horse racing lost. Who would want to win that way? Who would want to see a horse win/lose that way? Maximum Security’s owner said he too will not run in the Preakness.
As the legendary trainer, Bob Baffert said “No one calls an objection in the Derby. It’s always a roughly run race. Sometimes you’ve got to take your ass-kickings with dignity”.
Thankfully, all of the horses survived the derby.