Thoroughbred racing and legal sports betting.

“[H]e who lives must be prepared for changes.”

Goethe

It wasn’t supposed to happen. Not once in 145 years has there been a claim of foul that stuck against the winner of the Kentucky Derby. This time, 2019, things were very different. There was a protest, and the Churchill Downs stewards disqualified the apparent winner, Maximum Security. They gave the win to the place horse, a long shot named Country House. Worse yet, the owner of Maximum Security publicly appealed the ruling. And lost. Veterans of the thoroughbred industry were mortified. If the Kentucky Derby stands for anything, it is for horse racing as a class act. The image of the Sport of Kings is not well-served by squabbling in a tone better suited to a small claims court.