Two days after his horse finished first in the Kentucky Derby but was disqualified after an interference objection, Maximum Security owner Gary West said his horse will not run in the Preakness Stakes and that he plans to file an appeal with the state racing commission over the results of Saturday's race.
The appeal will be filed Monday, West said on NBC's "Today" show, though Kentucky Horse Racing Commission regulations say “findings of fact and determination shall be final and not subject to appeal.” West did not say whether he would file a lawsuit if the appeal is not accepted by the commission but hinted that it would be a possibility.
"If the state racing commission refuses to hear about it, I think this is something that's big enough that the entire racing world is looking at this," West said. "And I think they deserve an opportunity to really know what was going on."
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Since a Triple Crown is no longer a possibility for his horse, West confirmed that he has no plans to rush Maximum Security out for another race two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. His horse will not run in the Preakness Stakes, set for May 18.
Jockey Luis Saez reacted after finishing first aboard Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, but was later disqualified. The decision awarded the race to Kentucky Derby 2019 winner Country House.
May 4, 2019. (Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal)
West railed against Churchill Downs in Monday's interview, calling the Louisville racetrack "greedy" and saying the size of the Kentucky Derby field — 20 horses — is dangerous and should be reduced to 14.
Saturday was a long day for West and the Maximum Security team. One of the post-time favorites, Maximum Security was the first horse to cross the finish line Saturday at Churchill Downs.
After objections were raised by two jockeys and a 22-minute review, though, racing officials determined Maximum Security had interfered with several other horses as they came around the final turn. He was disqualified from the race, with 65-1 long shot and second-place finisher Country House recognized as the winner of the first leg of the Triple Crown.
"It was literally like the old TV show, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, all within a 22-minute period of time," West said, a reference "Wide World of Sports," an ABC show that aired for several years in the 1990s. "Winning it was the most euphoric thing I have ever had in our lives, and the disappointment when they took the horse down for the first time in history — we were stunned, shocked, and in total, complete disbelief."
Contributing: Tom Schad
This story will be updated.
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