Country House Wins 2019 Kentucky Derby After Maximum Security Controversial DQ

After Maximum Security was ruled the unofficial winner of the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, an objection led to a disqualification and rendered Country House the victor.

Maximum Security held off Country House to cross the finish line first, but it was determined that Maximum Security interfered with other horses—specifically War of Will—and a change was made:

Saturday marked the first time in Kentucky Derby history that a winner has been taken off the board due to an inquiry, and it benefited the Bill Mott-trained and Flavien Prat-ridden Country House:

Here is the full order of finish following the controversial decision to take Maximum Security off the board, along with payouts for the top three finishers in 65-1 shot Country House, followed by Code of Honor and Tacitus:

Finish: Horse; Jockey; Trainer (Payout)

1 (DQ). Maximum Security; Luis Saez; Jason Servis

2. Country House; Flavien Prat; William I. Mott ($1.86 million)

3. Code of Honor; John R. Velazquez; Claude R. McGaughey III ($600,000)

4. Tacitus; Jose L. Ortiz; William I. Mott ($300,000)

5. Improbable; Irad Ortiz Jr.; Bob Baffert ($150,000)

6. Game Winner; Joel Rosario; Bob Baffert ($90,000)

7. Master Fencer; Julien R. Leparoux; Tsunoda K

8. War of Will; Tyler Gaffalione; Mark E. Casse

9. Plus Que Parfait; Ricardo Santana Jr.; Brendan P. Walsh

10. Win Win Win; Julian Pimentel; Michael J. Trombetta

11. Cutting Humor; Mike E. Smith; Todd A. Pletcher

12. By My Standards; Gabriel Saez; W. Bret Calhoun

13. Vekoma; Javier Castellano; George Weaver

14. Bodexpress; Chris Landeros; Gustavo Delgado

15. Tax; Junior Alvarado; Danny Gargan

16. Roadster; Florent Geroux; Bob Baffert

17. Long Range Toddy; Jon Kenton Court; Steven M. Asmussen

18. Spinoff; Manuel Franco; Todd A. Pletcher

19. Gray Magician; Drayden Van Dyke; Peter Miller

Kentucky Derby Betting Payouts (Win, Place, Show)

Country House ($132.40, $56.60, $24.60)

Code of Honor (N/A, $15.20, $9.80)

Tacitus (N/A, N/A, $5.60)

Exacta (20-13): $3,009.60

Trifecta (20-13-8): $5,737.65

Superfecta (20-13-8-5): $51,400.10

B/R Betting provided the following look at how Maximum Security bettors reacted when it was announced that he had been disqualified:

There were differing views on the decision to disqualify Maximum Security, especially since his move off the rail didn’t appear to impact Country House much.

WFAN’s Brian Monzo felt that Maximum Security proving to be the better horse down the stretch should have come into play:

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay also disagreed with the decision:

Former MLB catcher and current NYRA horse racing analyst Paul Lo Duca believed it was important to overturn the result in interest of fairness and consistency, however:

Even so, the decision was unprecedented, and it prevented Maximum Security trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez from their first Kentucky Derby wins, respectively.

While Mott was undoubtedly happy to win the Kentucky Derby for the first time in his illustrious career, he admitted that he would have preferred a clean finish:

The 2019 Kentucky Derby was thrown for a loop in the days leading up to the event this week when Omaha Beach was scratched due to an entrapped epiglottis. The Richard Mandella-trained horse had been the favorite and the top candidate to beat out Bob Baffert’s triumvirate of superstar horses in Game Winner, Roadster and Improbable.

Omaha Beach beat Improbable and Game Winner in the Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakes, respectively, which made for a great potential storyline with Mandella looking for his first Triple Crown race win and Baffert looking for his 16th.

With Omaha Beach having to bow out, the door was open for a different horse to steal the headlines, and that is precisely what happened.

By virtue of Country House’s win, Baffert fell short of tying Ben Jones for the most Kentucky Derby wins of all time with six.

Baffert also won’t have the opportunity this year to become the first trainer in history to win the Triple Crown three times. Instead, Mott will go for his first Triple Crown and the first non-Baffert Triple Crown in horse racing since Laz Barrera won it behind Affirmed in 1978.

There have been two Triple Crown winners in the past four years with Baffert leading American Pharoah in 2015 and then Justify last year. If Country House manages to seal the deal with wins in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, it will mark the first back-to-back Triple Crown winners since Seattle Slew and Affirmed in 1977 and 1978.

It bears watching heading toward the Preakness whether all three of Baffert’s horses will remain in the mix—and if it is possible for Omaha Beach to return to action. Should that happen, the road to a Triple Crown will be that much tougher for Country House.