Video Clears Disqualified Winner, Jockey's Lawyers Say

Video evidence shows jockey Luis Saez wasn't to blame for Maximum Security's disqualification in the Kentucky Derby, the jockey's lawyers say. They turned the video over to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Friday, the Courier Journal reports. In fact, an attorney for Saez says it shows War of Will, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, moving prematurely into a closed lane. Country House, ridden by Flavien Prat, became the winner of the May 4 race when Maximum Security was disqualified for a foul in the final turn. Mark Casse, the trainer of War of Will, said Saez blocked and endangered other horses. "It’s almost like following a drunk driver," Casse said, per the Washington Post.

Saez and other jockeys met with stewards from the commission on Friday. A Churchill Downs spokesman told the Courier Journal that the meeting was "a routine post-event hearing to review film of inquiries with jockeys involved." The stewards usually deliberate after the meeting, the spokesman said, and any penalties are then announced on the derby's website. (Country House will sit the Preakness out.)