Two days after the Kentucky Derby, controversy surrounds the rough stretch battle between the second and third-place finishers, with questions about the lack of an inquiry by stewards, though no objections were filed by the connections of the top three horses, and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) stating that all races are reviewed, with a scheduled film review for jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
– ‣ Public speculation continues over the handling of a roughly-run stretch battle in the GI Kentucky Derby, with questions about why an inquiry was not announced by the stewards at Churchill Downs. This marks the second time in five years that their decision-making in America’s most historic horse race has been scrutinized.
– ‣ Despite the controversy, none of the connections of the top three finishers filed an objection or publicly stated that an inquiry or disqualification was warranted. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) emphasized that all races undergo stewards’ scrutiny, even if an inquiry sign is not posted.
– ‣ The KHRC announced that Tyler Gaffalione, the jockey of runner-up Sierra Leone, is summoned for a film review, a standard procedure in North American racing to review jockeys’ conduct during a race. This action follows the Derby, where Sierra Leone and Forever Young engaged in a tight duel, but no penalties related to the Derby had been posted by the KHRC as of the time of reporting.
Oh boy, let’s dive into this, shall we? Just two days post that heart-racing Kentucky Derby finish, the buzz hasn’t died down. Not one bit. Everyone’s still chatting about that nail-biter of a stretch between the second and third horses.
Now, here’s the kicker. It’s been a hot minute—five years, to be exact—since the folks at Churchill Downs found themselves in the hot seat. Why? Well, they didn’t holler about an inquiry. Yep, that’s right. No heads-up to the public that they were peeking into a possible no-no in what’s arguably the crown jewel of horse racing in the States.
But here’s where it gets juicy. Despite the whispers and the tweets, none of the teams behind the top trio kicked up a fuss right after the race. And they’ve been pretty mum about it since then.
Now, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) threw in their two cents on Monday. They’re like, “Hey, we check out every race, but maybe we don’t always wave the inquiry flag for everyone to see.” And get this—Tyler Gaffalione, the jockey on Sierra Leone, the runner-up, he’s got a date with the film review folks on May 9.
Apparently, this is standard stuff. Jockeys often get the call to review race day footage, even if there’s no official beef about the race.
So, Sierra Leone and Forever Young were practically dancing cheek to cheek from the three-sixteenths pole to the finish line. Sierra Leone’s got this habit of leaning in when the finish line’s in sight, and this time was no different. But despite the tussle, Mystik Dan snagged the win by just a nose.
Forever Young, though, wasn’t exactly playing the villain in this tango. The horse did push back a bit, making it tough for Gaffalione to keep things straight. Chad Brown, Sierra Leone’s trainer, was pretty chill about it. He figured it was a bit of give and take.
Neither Ryusei Sakai nor Yoshito Yahagi, the jockey and trainer for Forever Young, made a peep about an objection. Word on the street (or from Japan, rather) is they saw it as just part of the game.
And then there’s this email from a KHRC spokesperson, landing in TDN’s inbox late May 6. It’s all, “We check every race, but no red flags here, folks.” And yes, Gaffalione’s got that film review coming up, but that’s just business as usual.
As of Monday evening, no penalties have been dished out. And, uh, the KHRC’s been kinda ghosting TDN on whether anyone else from that photo finish needs to show up for a film review.
The stewards’ report? Missing in action since the end of April. And those stewards from the 2019 Derby drama? Yep, they’re the same crew calling the shots this year.
Remember the 2019 Derby? When Maximum Security got the boot for playing bumper cars? Took the stewards 22 minutes to sort that mess out, all while the nation watched.
Back then, the stewards caught some flak for keeping mum about an inquiry. And when Maximum Security’s owners tried to overturn the DQ in court, they pointed fingers at the stewards for not being upfront.
Funny thing—Gaffalione, who’s now in the spotlight, was part of that 2019 kerfuffle but didn’t get a chance to weigh in. Fast forward to 2024, and he’s got a seat at the table to talk about the latest Derby drama.
And that, my friends, is the rollercoaster ride that is the Kentucky Derby. Never a dull moment, eh?
