Owner Of Stripped Derby Champ Maximum Security Issues $20 Million Challenge To Rivals

• Gary West has offered $5 million apiece to any of four horses that can beat Maximum Security in a race.
• The wager applies only to the owners of Country House, War of Will, Long Range Toddy, and Bodexpress.
• West has pledged all of his potential winnings to the Permanently Disabled Jockey’s Fund.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – What was one of the most anticipated Kentucky Derby races in recent memory turned bitter after winner Maximum Security was disqualified.

Maximum Security was the first horse in the race’s 145-year history to lose the title due to an on-track infraction.

The controversial disqualification led to owner Gary West to file a lawsuit against the Kentucky Derby stewards. The suit has been lodged with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

West claims that since the stewards’ decision was not able to be appealed, the proceedings violated his rights to due process.

West is asking the courts to reinstate the Derby field’s original order of finish. He is also requesting that the prize money be redistributed accordingly.

However, West is clearly not hurting for money.

In fact, on Friday, West again found himself in the news, this time for making a bet.

West’s wager? He’s challenging the owners of the four horses that were allegedly impeded by Maximum Security to put up or shut up.

The affected ponies include Country House, War of Will, Long Range Toddy, and Bodexpress.

West’s bet would give $5 million to the owner(s) of any of the above horses that finishes ahead of Maximum Security in the next race where they meet. If all four horses take on Maximum Security and win, West would be out $20 million.

Any of the above horse owners who wish to accept the challenge has to put $5 million in an escrow account with West’s matching wager.

If West wins, he has pledged to donate his entire payout to the Permanently Disabled Jockey’s Fund (PDJF).

However, even if no owner accepts West’s challenge, he has pledged to give 10 percent of Maximum Security’s future winnings to the PDJF.

With the Triple Crown out of the picture for 2019, wagering and spectator interest in the remaining major races have waned. West’s primary goal with this challenge is to recover any lost interest in horse racing that the Kentucky Derby Decision has engendered.

“I am doing this because I think it would be good for racing and a unique opportunity to bring more people into racing because of the elevated interest this would bring to the sport,” West said in a press release.

Whether West’s unprecedented gambit bears fruit remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it is yet another unexpected development in a bizarre and tumultuous racing season.

News tags: Kentucky Derby | Preakness Stakes