"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

"Maximum Security" doesn't have racetrack manners. His trainer should be in question. It was a near disaster and other horses and/or their jockeys could have been seriously injured or worse. 

Racehorses have to understand the track and it is one of the aspects of training that occurs. The jockey didn't have anything to do with it. I don't think he was even aware Maximum Security was running into other horses, which is also something to ask. 

The owner of Maximum Security may want to retire him into stud service. The horse is a bit old to retrain to return safety to the racetrack. There is an issue about safety with this thoroughbred.

Maximum Security appears to be well bred, but, he has to behave himself.

There has been a trend in recent years to minimize the number of races a thoroughbred is exposed to in preventing injury. That is not a good idea. What trainers and owners are saying about their stable is that they are not strong thoroughbreds because they have to be baby cottled in order to reach a Triple Crown. The Triple Crown winners before that long stretch of no winners of the crown were never handled that way. 

The breeding counts, the training counts and temperament counts. So, in this instance, the rules were invoked and with a great deal of sadness, the Kentucky Derby was removed from Maximum Security's history. I think the management of the Belmont and the Preakness need to review the tape of the Kentucky Derby and ask plenty of questions before Maximum Security is allowed to run with this class of three-year-olds again.