LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ In a first for the Kentucky Derby, the horse that crossed the finish line first did not win.
Maximum Security went wire to wire to apparently win the 145th Kentucky Derby.
However, track stewards ruled that Maximum Security impeded other horses during the stretch run and was removed as the race's winner.
Country House, a 65-to-1 longshot who ran second, was moved up to first place.
War of Will's jockey Tyler Gaffalione filed an objection against Maximum Security, claiming his horse was impeded in the stretch run.
After a lengthy review by track stewards, Maximum Security's victory was reversed.
Omaha Beach was the morning-line favorite for the Derby, but trainer Richard Mandella scratched him from the field Wednesday after a scope found the colt was suffering from an entrapped epiglottis that hampered his breathing.
With Omaha Beach out, a field that top trainers already referred to as wide open became that much more unpredictable. Trainer Bob Baffert said there was almost no way to separate the top five contenders in the morning line, three of which came from his barn.
Now the questions will turn to Country House's Triple Crown potential. The feat has temporarily lost some of its mystique after American Pharoah achieved it in 2015 and Justify followed in 2018. But the Derby winner will still be greeted as a conquering hero when he arrives at Pimlico Race Course to prepare for the May 18 Preakness.
As was the case with the Derby, the second jewel of the Triple Crown will be run against a backdrop of anxiety for the sport, which was rocked by a spate of 23 horse deaths at Santa Anita Park earlier this year. Add to that the unsettled future of the Preakness, as Baltimore officials fight to keep the event at Pimlico while the Stronach Group contemplates moving it to Laurel Park, and Country House will have to compete for headlines.
