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"The Kentuky (sic) Derby decision was not a
good one. It was a rough and tumble race on a wet and sloppy
track, actually, a beautiful thing to watch," Trump wrote on
Twitter. "Only in these days of political correctness could such
an overturn occur. The best horse did NOT win the Kentucky Derby
- not even close!"
In a stunning reversal, second-finisher and long-shot Country
House was declared the winner of Saturday's 145th Kentucky Derby
at Churchill Downs in Louisville after Maximum Security became
the first horse in the history of the race to be disqualified
for an on-track infraction after crossing the line first.
Country House's team had objected to Maximum Security's win,
saying the 9-2 favorite's wide turn heading into the soggy home
stretch impeded other horses. After a 20-minute video review,
officials found Maximum Security guilty of a contact foul and
handed the win to Country House.
The 1-1/4 mile race, called the "fastest two minutes in sports,"
and the first jewel in thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown,
featured the largest guaranteed purse of $3 million and played
out before more than 150,000 fans that packed Churchill Downs
despite the wet weather.
Coming into Saturday's race, Country House had only notched one
win in six starts.
Maximum Security's trainer and owner told Sports Illustrated
they planned to pursue any available appeals against the
disqualification.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York; Editing by Daniel
Wallis and Bill Berkrot)
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