Horse racing fans and interested parties all joined in to celebrate the latest Kentucky Derby winner and Triple Crown hopeful, Maximum Security. But they all celebrated too soon because the horse became the first in Triple Crown history to be taken down due to an objection by another jockey, making Country House the final winner of the race.
The horse owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Jason Servis initially beat out the field and continued its unbeaten streak, leaving many excited for the possibility of another winner of the legendary title.
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But this soon changed once the objection notice went up, giving everybody watching live a slice of history. It was a long 14-minute wait for the final result, ringing in history as Country House was delivered the win and Maximum Security was taken down. This did not sit well with a lot of racing fans who were pulling for Maximum Security.
Maximum Security is my new favorite horse. I believe they stole the Kentucky Derby from him.
— Ron Kaufmann (@rkaufmann_ron) May 4, 2019
“Looks like decision went to “favorite son” trainer Mott. Maximum Security was robbed and so were the fans [bad decision] [black day] for the derby,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Who the hell are these morons who decide this, & wtf were they looking at, cause there was no interference at all by Maximum Security, those idiots that decided this need to be dealt with. #KentuckyDerby2019
— Lisa (@lisamarieLML) May 4, 2019
Country House is now set up to be the next Triple Crown, but now under cloudy circumstances. Only 13 horses have achieved the honor since 1875, with two coming in the past decade.
2018 saw Justify take the crown, trained by horse racing legend Bob Baffert. It was the second for Baffert following his work with American Pharoah in 2015, the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978 with Affirmed. His horses in the 2019 event fell short.
Maximum Security ran a great route. Answered 2 challenges, not to mention the weather. The disqualification is a shame (sham). The track dictated a lot of movement. Max is a champion! 🐎
— TBone (@BozoBrizo) May 5, 2019
When you bet Maximum Security…but he gets a DQ for racing… pic.twitter.com/OH7jXr5jKx
— Bricker Overland (@Bricker13) May 5, 2019
Fans were quick to sing the praises of Maximum Security after its announced win, some just basking in the glory of horseracing and others enjoying the fact that they have the winning bet. But that quickly changed soon after the objection was announced. There were a few who felt that the decision was the right one to make, though.
“That’s a real bummer, but the right call,” one fan wrote on social media about the bittersweet decision. “The best horse was Maximum Security, but it broke the rules and impeded other horses.”
The triple crown kicks off with the Kentucky Derby each year, moving to the Preakness Stakes in Maryland later in May before concluding with the Belmont Stakes in New York at the beginning of June. Many horses have won two of the three races, especially in recent years where many horses will skip one of the major races to prepare for a later race. These are prime examples showing just how difficult it is to win all three races and how many trainers and owners will instead focus on the winning prizes and longevity for their horses.
The most famous horse to win the Triple Crown is Secretariat in 1973. Not only is it an achievement with the victories, each set a speed record that still stands today for each race. Even more impressive, the speed and victory time for the Belmont Stakes set a world record.
