CART BEFORE THE HORSE

Kentucky Derby: Maximum Security Owner’s Appeal Denied in Less Than 24 Hours

“They’ve been about as non-transparent about this whole thing as anything I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said.

An appeal filed by the co-owner of Maximum Security, the horse that was disqualified from the Kentucky Derby on Saturday in a stunning, unprecedented decision, was denied in less than 24 hours by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Fox News’ Matt Finn reported Monday. Moments after Maximum Security was declared the winner of the race, the team behind the second-place horse, Country House, filed an objection, claiming that Maximum Security had interfered with another horse’s path. After reviewing the footage, the race’s stewards disqualified Maximum Security and declared Country House the winner—the first time in the race’s history that a horse was disqualified for mid-race conduct.

“We were stunned, shocked, and in total disbelief,” Gary West, Maximum Security’s billionaire co-owner, said earlier Monday on NBC’s Today. “The appeal has to be filed within 48 hours, so we’ll be filing that today.” West added that since Maximum Security is out of the running for a Triple Crown, the horse won’t be competing in the Preakness Stakes. West also slammed the stewards for being “about as non-transparent about this whole thing as anything I’ve ever seen in my life.” The commission reportedly decided that the stewards’ decision was not subject to appeal.