The First Saturday in May

"When is the Kentucky Derby run this year?" is a question only the  uninitiated can ask. It is always the first Saturday in May.

And here we are again. The 145th running of "run for the roses"..."the most exciting two minutes in sports"...As Joe Drape points out this morning in his piece in the NYT, the Derby predates baseball in the United States. Subtract 145 from 2019 and you get you get 1874. I'll bet Jim Holzhauer from 'Jeopardy' knows who the president was then. And maybe even the name of the first winner. I'd go all in that he does.

It is also the guaranteed time when my family will have some event I'm expected to be at. But not to worry. The race is late in the day, there are televisions everywhere, and I have a phone that has XpressBets on Speed dial. I won't miss a thing.

I don't really know they first year I ever saw the Derby, but it must have been sometime in the '50s when our upstairs tenants had the race on television and I remember remarking, "all those people come out there for one race?"

The Tramplers, no betting neophytes, explained there were many races on the card, and that the Derby was just the feature, and the biggest race of the day. I've understood ever since.

The family tradition of having must-attend events started with my oldest daughter's wedding on Belmont Stakes day in 2004. Understandably, I was expected to attend the wedding. And I of course did, but not before I started handicapping in the morning and got the results that Nick Zito's horse won the first race on the card. I didn't have it.

I can't really rattle off all the Derby winners during my lifetime, but I certainly know the winners on these special days. Smarty Jones was going for the triple Crown in 2004, but the timing of the reception but us outside the Old Mill at the Bronx Botanical Gardens where the reception was, at about 10 minutes to post time.

"Do you guys have a TV in there?" Jesus, back to the car to listen to race on the radio in the parking lot. We all know the result and what happened "in the shadow of the wire." Birdstone, trained by none other than the trainer of the first race winner, Nick Zito, upsets Smarty Jones. No Triple Crown. Again.

Little did I know then the seed for the family tradition was planted.

First there's love, then there's marriage, then there's  a baby carriage, and in 2007 the first grandchild is born, a girl.

And when is the christening celebration? Why the first Saturday in May, of course. I remember things because of who won certain races, and Big Brown's victory in 2008 is remembered as when the christening celebration was held.

Twice is not a trend, right? When was Emma's First Communion? You're getting good at this. The first Saturday in May, 2015. Who won? American Pharoah, the only horse who can win the Triple Crown that year. And after that year's Belmont Stakes, they did win the Triple Crown.

Oh joy, oh rapture, there's a trend going on here. When did my second daughter get married? On a Friday, but which Friday? The Friday before the 2018 Belmont Stakes. A Montauk, Long Island destination wedding.

And who won the Belmont that year? Why Justify of course, completing the Triple Crown. The phony Triple Crown I believe. A boat race Belmont Stakes guaranteed the win for the lightly run Justify, and the retirement from racing after the Belmont gave us a horse whose career didn't last as long as some hangovers. Boo.

After Emma comes Olivia. And when is Olivia's First Communion? Why today, of course, the first Saturday in May, 2019. Who won the Derby? Unknown, because it is 9:30 a.m. E.D.T.

Okay, who do like? Game Winner/Tacitus exacta, with some savers thrown in for good measure depending on odds, etc.

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And now it's Sunday morning, and after a fitful night's sleep, I come to write the rest of the story about this year's First Saturday in May.

The lyrics to a very early Simon and Garfunkel song, 'Bookends' go:

Time it was
And what a time it was
It was a time of innocence
A time of confidences

The next most cherished assignment in journalism won't be covering the White House, press briefings or Senate hearings. It will be covering the Kentucky Derby which yesterday turned the fastest two minutes in sports into the longest replay deliberation, approaching 25 minutes, that delivered racing into the age of the Mueller report: was it collusion? (read collision); was it obstruction (of justice) in interfering in the path to the winner's circle? At least the Russians weren't mentioned.

Future Derby reports, at least the televised ones, might now not concentrate on the A-listers, the bourbon swilling swells, and the hats that 90% of the women wear, looking like a flying saucer has made a bad landing, but still adding style and appeal.

The time it took to come to a decision was unprecedented. Normally, a jock's objection sends it back upstairs to the stewards, who interview the jocks on the phone, rewatch the race and come to a decision. Quickly. To take nearly a half hour to decide the outcome is analogous to counting chads in the 2000 presidential election.

Churchill has lights now, and does offer night racing cards. It was convenient they have lights, because the delay sent the final two races off at 8:06 and 8:39, surely in the dark, despite Louisville's western edge in the Eastern time zone.

Stewards' rulings are unanimous amongst the three. But they are a jury, and perhaps don't have a unanimous opinion immediately. They talk, they review, they keep going. We're not going to know, but there might have been a holdout who just felt DQ Maximum Security because of peer pressure.

In today's NYT Melissa Hoppert gives the most cogent report of what happened in her piece, 'Upon Further Review.'

Yes, Maximum Security crossed the finish line first, but the jockeys on Long Shot Toddy and Country House, John Court (the oldest rider to ever compete in the Derby) and Flavian Pratt, neither of which of is considered top tier jockeys, but rather solid riders who can boot home a winner. Their presence on a horse should not discourage backing the horse.

They alleged interference by Maximum Security at the five-sixteenths pole. For those perhaps bad at math, that is 110 yards before the Quarter pole, (which itself is 440 yards before the finish) which usually signifies the start of the stretch. It was on the turn for home.

Again, for those who don't know much about racing, claims of foul, or "objections," can be made by jockeys, trainers, patrol judges and owners at the conclusion of the race. All claims of foul are ruled on by a triumvirate of Stewards, appointed by racing ruling bodies, who review replays from lots of angles and render a decision.

Another source of an "objection" can come from a Stewards Inquiry, an announcement that in their initial viewing of the race, the stewards find there is a reason to review the race and see if there was anything that was done that warrants changing the order of finish that was just witnessed.

Any racetracker will tell you, a Stewards Inquiry, flashed before anyone has even gotten back to weigh out, usually results in a changing of the order of finish before the race is declared official. But not always. A second look might confirm that what happened, if anything, was not enough to decrease the fouled horse that chances of winning the race. Therefore, the order of finish will stand , and the race will be made official.

Those holding what might be cashable tickets "sweat out" the time it takes for the stewards to make the race official. I have had my tickets DQ'd and I have moved up into a cashable ticket due to stewards' ruling. It happens.

But the important thing to remember is once the stewards declare a race official, money is paid out that is never retroactively taken back if someone thinks a different ruling should apply. A race can be declared official, money paid out, and after failing a drug test, a horse can be removed from getting whatever purse distribution might be related with their placing. But the payout is like a Forever stamp. The pricing stays the same.

As Melissa Hoppert points out, The stewards in racing are essentially in a "job that has existed for ages in America's oldest sport, essentially making stewards the pioneers of video review."

Taking nearly 25 minutes to rule on a jockeys' objection is something I've never witnessed. Usually a jockey objection is reviewed, just like a steward's inquiry, but dismissed fairly quickly after the jockeys have gotten on the phone and described to the ruling body what happened. Plead their case, if you will.

Thus, a national television audience, and 150,000 people at he rack, had to wait while Maximum Security and Country Home were walked around the track, somewhat like George Bush and Al Gore in 2000, awaiting the ruling from the judiciary as to who the winner really is.

Say what you will, the connections of each horse did not go George Brett crazy and charge the officials (They are up in the stands. Access is not easy.) when it was finally announced that yes, Maximum Security did interference with horses at the five-sixteenths pole, and needed to be placed after whatever finish the horse they fouled had attained.

This meant Maximum Security, the second choice in the betting at 9/2, had to be placed behind the placing of Jon Court's Long Range Toddy, resulting in an assignment to 17th place, clearly out of any purse distribution.

Rulings are always judgments formed from opinions. And sometimes the evidence that forms the opinions is not very conclusive, but rulings are made anyway (unless you're Robert Mueller and kick the topic of obstruction of justice to the U.S. Attorney General to rule on.)

The Kentucky Stewards are not Robert Mueller, and therefore ruled on everything and acted accordingly.

Stewards have been derisively called the 'Three Blind Mice,' especially by those who believe a foul was committed that wasn't called and their ticket didn't become cashable. These are not the most objective people.

But what did they see? They didn't flash the inquiry sign right away. Oh joy, oh rapture is going on with the connections of Maximum Security. The trainer, Jason Servis, is the older brother of John Servis, who trained Smarty Jones who won the 2004 Derby and nearly won the Triple Crown, losing in "shadow of the wire" to Birdstone. An official race will make it the first brother combination to win the Derby. Not to be

As Joe Drape reports in today's NYT, the steward's ruling was "not a popular decision, but was a brave one that is certain to keep a battered old sport in the national consciousness for a little longer. Never before had a foul voided an apparent win at the Derby."

The chart of the race, the official recording, the court transcript if you will, states of Maximum Security: "veered out sharply forcing War of Will out into Long Range Toddy and Bodexpress nearing the five -sixteenths pole, respond when challenged..." Country House is mentioned in the chart as being effected by the veering out of Maximum Security.

Missing from the narrative is any mention of contact. No horse went down, no jockey was thrown. A 19 horse field is a crowded field, and did you ever see commuters "jockey" for position to get on the escalator? Slight contact might be made. Someone might change course.

What did the stewards now see that they didn't originally react to? The upshot irony of the whole race is that War of Will, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, did not claim foul. Anyone who set their DVD to record and didn't extend the time window for a live telecast probably missed seeing the ending. But by then, it was national news.

Does anyone remember the Zola Budd, Mary Decker showdown in the women's 800 meter Olympic finals in Los Angeles in 1984? Tight packed field, goes around the turn, and down goes Mary, clipping heels with Zola. Mary rolls into the infield and starts to wail and hold her leg. Do they DQ Zola? No, well because she didn't finish first.

Track and field are not the same sport, but they both involve running and jostling. I remember getting jostled in cross-country races I competed in. I was never good enough to be near the top, but there were no claims of foul.

So personally, how did this revised order of finish effect anyone I know.

Reports are coming in from affected friends. Bobby G., from The Assembled, had $10 on Maximum Security, only to be denied entry into the winner's circle Now, at 82, Bobby G. has now lived long enough to witness the first revised order of finish in the 145 runnings of the race. The hope is his longevity continues, and he lives long enough to get even. Several times, for the pain and suffering.

For myself, I was unaffected. But at the First Communion party for my granddaughter my son-in-law cleverly and generously created a $100 Derby pool—with no buy in—for all the guests. He
pre-assigned each horse to either a single guest, or a pairing of guests and printed out a purse distribution matrix they would receive if their horse won, placed, or finished third.

Alongside each name was a blurb that had something to say about the person. I was assigned 'Grey Magician' in recognition of some minor repairs I helped them with, and my "touch of gray." (An understatement.) It was a clever matrix, with some people in line for an $80 payout if their horse won. Work must have been incidental they day he put this together.

So, like the people at Churchill Downs, after the unofficial order of finish was posted, my son-in-law started handing out money. Hus father, a retired NYPD detective had been assigned Maximum Security, wit the comment "no one gets out ,except that one window." Cryptic, but referred to a family incident when one of Tim's younger brothers, Kevin, at 15, one night made his bed to look like he was in it, and snuck out the bedroom window to go to his friend's house.

The friend's mother didn't like Kevin coming over so unexpectedly, and for some reason called the police on Kevin. Why she escalated it to the police rather than just calling Kevin's parents is unknown, but she did. The ensuing recovery from the police is now of course family lore and is just now being made public. Kevin is now over 40.

Even with the race being unofficial, Tim starts to distribute the party purse money. His father gets the lion's share, $80, and Johnny M, one of The Assembled got $10 for Code of Honor finishing third.

Time goes by. Lots of time, Lots of hot walking on the track for George Bush and Al Gore, awaiting the decision from the tribunal.

Once announced, Tim had to retrieve the money he gave his father and now give it to another younger brother who just bought a summer home near Saratoga and was assigned Country Home with the blurb: 'Saratoga here we come.' Clever.

The revised order moved Johnny M's assigned horse, Code of Honor to second, and now qualified John for an additional $10, making his winnings, with no outplay (the best kind) $20. Nice work when you can get it.

Maximum Security front-running performance—a brilliant control of the race and pace by Luis Saez—now of course doesn't count. At least in the record books. But the horse was steered to a fast opening quarter of :221/5, a suicidal pace for a 1¼ race.

But Saez is not a leading jockey because he is reckless. He slowed the field down to a  463/5 half, held off challengers mightily, and won by a 1¾ lengths. A truly great performance.

Winners and losers, and new winners all around. At the party for the First Communion, Tim assigned the older daughter Emma, Plue Que Parfait, a long shot that Tim hoped would not win, because winning would mean he'd have to get Emma an iPhone xs max. Cleverly, if he did have to get the iPhone, no one else was winning any money. Emma is still lobbying mightily.


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