OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) — Not again. That was the reaction of owner Gary West when the inquiry sign flashed after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first in the $1 million Haskell Invitational Saturday evening at hot and steamy Monmouth Park.
Unlike in the Kentucky Derby, the stewards let the result stand this time, vaulting Maximum Security to top of the 3-year-old thoroughbred division.
“My heart skipped a beat the first time I saw it,” West said of the inquiry sign after Maximum Security crossed the finish line 1 1/4 lengths ahead of trainer Bob Baffert’s Mucho Gusto. “The first time I saw the replay, I thought there was no way they can take this horse down. I’m not a steward but I did not think he did anything that cost. … The other horse was going backward at the time.”
West, who is still fighting the Derby disqualification in federal court in Kentucky, is certain he has the best colt in the land
“If it doesn’t, I don’t know when a division has a clear-cut leader,” he said. “Am I prejudiced, of course I am.”
The Haskell capped a long day that included a 4 1/2-hour delay triggered by intense heat and the safety concerns for the horses and riders. It led to the cancellation of six races and the delay in six stakes, including the Haskell, the biggest race in Monmouth’s meet.
When racing resumed around 6 p.m., the stakes went off without a hitch until the Haskell.
There was no doubt Maximum Security got to the finish line first.
However, the stewards posted the inquiry sign. Videotape replays showed King for a Day had to check when Maximum Security and Mucho Gusto stormed past.
The race was reviewed and the inquiry sign came down quickly, unlike the Derby when there was a 22-minute delay before Country House was elevated to the top spot and Maximum Security was dropped to 17th place. It was the first time a horse that crossed the finish line first in the Derby was disqualified.
This was one of the most bizarre days in the 52-year history of the Haskell. It also was just another weird twist in the 3-year-old picture.
There was the Kentucky Derby disqualification. A riderless horse in the Preakness. Three different winners of the Triple Crown races.
The latest turn came Saturday as the extreme temperature and a heat index value reaching 107— caused track officials to order a delay after the running of the first two races on the 14-race card.
The Haskell went off at 8:11 p.m., 2 hours, 24 minutes after its scheduled start. The field was reduced to six horses when third-place Belmont States finisher Joevia scratched after the delay.