PowerPlay Wrote:

I think this is the 24th horse to die at Santa Anita since Dec. 26th. Those numbers scream that they just don't care.

Seems like all these horses are dying in the undercard or lesser races at the same track.. do you think they have different protocols compared to the major 4 races? Have any horses ever died in a main Derby/Preakness/Belmont/Breeder Cup race?

Maybe its also that horses in the undercard races aren't as strong and healthy.. so maybe there should be a conversation about doing away with the undercard and prelim races? Or raising the bar on the health and quality of the horse before they are allowed to compete? Something along those lines.

That sucks. I remember this happening a few years back, in the 2016 Preakness actually where 2 horses died. I wrote a thread on here about it. The incident didn't effect the race as far as postponing it that year so I'm sure it'll be the same this time around. Curious that it was at the Preakness again..

I like horse racing. I think its fun to watch. But just like when it happened last time, makes me second guess the need for the sport. Or at least how dangerous it can be for the horses. They need better regulation at the very least. I don't know.

Also gotta love Twitter:

Miss America
Oscars

JFoster Wrote: Agreed, it does feel wrong. Bob Baffert's horse, Restoring Hope made a controversial move at the Belmont Stakes last year, and didn't get disqualified. He used that horse essentially as a blocker for Justify. If that wasn't called to attention, why would something like this have been? All in all, it really is unfortunate. Many people lost money and their tempers over that call for sure.

Good point. Maybe it's politics. Baffert owned both horses and it's not as high profile as the Derby. So maybe that had something to do with it. Plus they would have disqualified Restoring Hope and not Justify so the winner wouldn't have changed, unless there's a protocol to re-run the race I'm not aware of?

I think this was the right call but I agree with above, I would rather see a re-running of the race. Easier said than done though as these races are really hard on the horses and what kind of product would you get. That would be equally controversial, maybe even more so.

Maximum Security certainly seemed like the obvious best horse at the Derby. But this contested move by him of impeding the horse Country House coming on the last turn of the race is very interesting and will add a possible asterisk to his name if his Derby holds up.

If it holds, I think he can. He might not be a Justify type dominant horse but it's all about the field of competition.

Looks like Maximum Security is moving up the ranks. 9/2 odds as of a few hours before the race. So is Improbable. Those are the 2 odds leaders now. You can see the live and official odds there:

2019 Kentucky Derby Live Odds

Also, according to that site the total win pool is over $14.5 million. Wow.