Racing commission files motion to dismiss Kentucky Derby disqualification lawsuit
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has filed a motion in federal court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Maximum Security's owners seeking to have the horse reinstated as the winner of Kentucky Derby 145.
Owners Gary and Mary West filed a against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the stewards on May 14. They claimed the disqualification violated their constitutional rights, calling the process "bizarre and unconstitutional."
The commission's motion to dismiss was filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Lexington and again emphasized that the stewards' ruling was final and not subject to appeal맥스카지노a policy that has been in effect for almost 60 years.
"The same rules apply to every horse race, whether a Friday night claiming race or the Kentucky Derby," the motion said. "Under those rules, Maximum Security did not win the Derby, and the Wests did not win the Derby purse."
The commission stressed that the stewards are charged with determining all fouls and the extent of disqualification in its of the Wests' appeal on May 6. Participants agree to these conditions when they sign racing licenses in Kentucky.
"(The Wests') demand threatens to transform the 'most exciting two minutes in sports' into tedious, protracted litigation," the motion said. "But their mere disagreement is insufficient to support a claim that their Constitutional맥스카지노or any other맥스카지노legal rights have been violated. In fact, they allege no valid cause of action at all. The Court should therefore dismiss the Wests맥스카지노 complaint as a matter of law."
Maximum Security was the first race-winner in Kentucky Derby history to be disqualified after stewards agreed he made a wide blocking move that interfered with the path of several horses. The second-place finisher, Country House, was then named the winner of Kentucky Derby 145.
Amid the lawsuits, West has offered $20 million of his own money if any of the four horses who finished ahead of Maximum Security can beat the horse head-to-head in a race for the remainder of 2019.