NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE

Maximum Security leads the 19-horse field through the turn after the start of the Kentucky Derby. (Photo credit: Jamie Rhodes / USA Today Sports)

Playing by the rules is rather refreshing.

It happened in little more than a few blinks of the eyes.

Laymen fans, translated to mean those (like me) who only watch Triple Crown races, probably did not realize it happened. How could anyone see much anyway, besides heads bobbing up and down and mud being kicked up and sprayed in all directions?

Until the replay was shown. And run back again. And again. From every angle. Repeatedly.

And there it was. Clear evidence.

Sports smorgasbord

Spring’s sporting event schedule is full of deep dishes such as March Madness, the Masters, the Kentucky Derby, and the Indianapolis 500. (Sorry NFL, your draft is boring.)

As usual, March Madness delivered a scintillating tournament, with Virginia tasting championship success after losing to a 16-seed the previous year. Tiger Woods winning the Masters was scintillating and stunning, a comeback for the ages. Last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby was compelling drama, too, and for far longer than the time it takes the horses to complete the circuit.

The NCAA tournament spreads out over nearly three weeks, ample time for highs and lows and, if you have an off game but manage to win, there are redemption opportunities. The Masters requires four days; still enough time, if a golfer makes the cut, for weekend redemption following a slow start on Thursday or Friday.

Conversely, the Kentucky Derby is sheer, edge-of-your-seat intensity.

Two minutes of the thunderous roar of hooves and 1,200-pound horses running 40 miles-per-hour. One hundred twenty seconds of trying to keep your horse on stride and poised to strike. All while trying to avoid getting pinned on the inside rail of a one and a quarter miles track. And hopefully, arriving at the quarter pole that signals the homestretch with enough energy to sprint to the finish. Oh, and pray your horse is not startled by the cheering of 150,000 fans!

Added pressure

Anticipation in the weeks leading up to the Derby carried unwanted, added significance this year. Since late last year, 23 thoroughbred racehorses died at California’s famed Santa Anita Park racetrack near Los Angeles.

Officials have not determined the cause of death for any of the 23 horses. Speculation ranges from medicine gone wrong to faulty training regimens to an excessively hard racetrack. For example, due to an unusually rainy winter in SoCal, heavy equipment was used to seal the clay surface at Santa Anita. The result was a surface as hard as a highway, which puts enormous stress on a horse’s legs (and a jockey’s knees).

For now, speculation is center stage because there is no factual cause for what has happened.

According to a recent feature in the Sports Business Journal, some industry stakeholders, including owners, trainers and media, worry that if the problem at Santa Anita is not figured out soon, it could spell the beginning of the end of horseracing, i.e. horseracing could become extinct.

While not calling for an end to horseracing, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling for Santa Anita to suspend racing until the cause of death is determined for all 23 horses that died the past four months. According to the SBJ article, PETA also demands the industry rid itself of drugs given to horses and take better care of retired race horses.

Understandably, the crown jewel of the Triple Crown, located 2,000 miles away from Santa Anita, was under an unusually bright spotlight (unfortunately not sunlight) come race day.

The horserace

There was a feeling of anxiety, mixed with the usual nerves and adrenaline, as the pre-race build-up to the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby reached its zenith. While not a huge fan of the sport, I am a sports fan and therefore recognize and enjoy sports’ big moments. And the Kentucky Derby is one of sports’ biggest moments.

Tension became more pronounced with the announcement, in the days leading up to Saturday, that two horses, including the early favorite, were scratched from the lineup. Regardless of the reason given (respiratory problems and an abscessed hoof), it was difficult not to think about the dead horses at Santa Anita.

On race day, relentless, driving rain and prelim races churned Churchill Downs’ track into a muddy, sloppy mess. One almost felt a sense of relief for the two scratched horses for not having to step onto such a perilous track.

But race is what the other 19 horses did and they put on a nice, but unspectacular show. Maximum Security - the new favorite with Omaha Beach having scratched – took the lead at the start and led the entire trip. (See, I do know some jargon. Jockey’s often call the race a “trip.”)

There were four or five horses bunched near Maximum Security the whole trip. He never broke free-and-clear until he was one-sixteenth, maybe one-eighth of a mile from the finish line. But what happened near the quarter-mile pole sealed his fate.

Maximum Security, second from right, drifts into War of Will in the Kentucky Derby. Country House, second from left, was awarded the victory. (Photo credit: kentucky.com)

It’s simple. Interference = disqualification

One of the greatest, most memorable rules of all-time is “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” Whoever came up with this rule should be in the Rules Hall of Fame. It’s simple, easy-to-understand and easy to enforce. There is very little room for misinterpretation and, if you are the offender, not much to argue about. The rule is clear and unambiguous.

It was not until watching the local 10 p.m. newscast that I learned Maximum Security had been disqualified. I logged onto Youtube and watched the replay over and over.

Immediately following the race, three Kentucky stewards, led by Chief Steward Barbara Bolden, huddled for about 25 minutes, after receiving complaints from two jockeys claiming their horses had been blocked by Maximum Security. The stewards reviewed the video replays and then announced their decision.

A statement was issued that relieved Maximum Security of his victory. Country House moved from second place to first place. (Ironically, Country House was not blocked by Maximum Security and probably would not have won the race.)

“We had a lengthy review of the race,” said Chief Steward Bolden. “We interviewed affected riders. We determined the 7 horse drifted out and impacted the progress of 1, in turn interfering with the 18 and 21. Therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify No. 7.”

Well, then. A rule’s a rule. You cannot interfere with (or block) other horses. The rule states disqualification occurs if “a leading horse or any other horse in a race swerves or is ridden to either side so as to interfere with, intimidate, or impede any other horse or jockey.” Clear and unambiguous.

Was it the right call?

Reaction was, no surprise, swift.

“This is the most egregious disqualification in the history of horse racing,” said Gary West, who co-owns Maximum Security with his wife, Mary.

And yes, of course, one of the most uninformed men in America just had to weigh in, tweeting in part: “The Kentucky Derby decision was not a good one. Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur. The best horse did NOT win the Kentucky Derby – not even close!” You guessed it. Trump.

Now, let’s hear from knowledgeable people armed with facts and expertise.

Derby trainers called the steward’s decision correct and one that upholds the integrity of the sport. “At the biggest moment in our sport, the stewards made a tough decision,” said two-time Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “In a lot of sports, they swallow the whistle in the biggest moment.”

(Think back to the blown “no pass interference” call in the NFC Championship game that likely cost the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl. And the missed double-dribble call in the NCAA semi-final game that likely cost Auburn a spot in the NCAA title game.)

Trainer Mark Casse added, “We have rules. Horses could have been killed. Riders could have been killed. The decision was a no-brainer.”

Some in the media complained when Bolden, the chief steward, put out her statement but did not hold a press conference. Frankly, she made a brilliant move. Why subject herself to endless grilling from foaming-at-the-mouth media, some of them looking to stir up controversy? A straightforward decision was made based on the rules. There was nothing to discuss. It was the correct call.

Several trainers summed it up this way; if this had been an average weekday race, at any racetrack across America, the decision to disqualify would have been made without a second thought.

Kudos to horse racing officials in Kentucky for not tossing out the rulebook in favor of expediency.