The 150th Kentucky Derby ended with a dramatic photo finish on Saturday.
The slightest advantage over Sierra Leone and Forever Young was enough to give Mystik Dan the win, worth $3.1 million.
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However, controversy rocked the runners-up after photos emerged online that appeared to show contact between Forever Young jockey Tyler Gaffalione, in third, and Sierra Leone, in the home straight.
“That’s what Sierra Leone did at Remsen, that’s what he did at Blue Grass, he dragged his feet like that,” noted NBC Sports’ Randy Moss, according to the Express.
Moss also added that he believes the Forever Young team, including jockey Ryusei Sakai, could have been the subject of a foul complaint.
Despite this, no such claim was made.
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“Fault allegations don’t happen much in Japan,” said Hiroshi Ando, who works as race manager for Forever Young trainer Yoshito Yahagi, per USA today.
“It’s the commissioners’ decision, not us.”
This revelation sparked mixed reactions from fans of X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I saw this live and I was shocked, no one mentioned it or there wasn’t an investigation by the stewards,” said one fan.
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“The SL was getting closer, you can see how much closer and closer they are to the rail,” replied a second.
“It cost FY to win the race because he [had to] They used a lot of energy to maintain the SL and if they had both run in a straight line they could have easily overtaken the MD.”
Another fan suggested: “That jockey should be suspended and the horse disqualified.
While a fourth responded: “It appears the two horses have initiated contact several times.
“No change was the right decision.”
Ultimately, discipline may still be in Gaffalione’s favor after Kentucky Horse race The Commission released a statement revealing that he is expected to attend a “film review” with administrators on Thursday, according to USA Today.
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“Stewardes routinely carry out film reviews to assess the conduct of jockeys during a race,” he said.
“The stewards, at their discretion, may take disciplinary action against a jockey following the review.”
After the race, Gaffalione was quoted as saying that Sierra Leone “wanted to lean today and made things a little difficult.
“I had a hard time keeping it straight, and it definitely cost us. He gives everything, is very receptive, but loses concentration.”
Allegations of foul don’t happen much in Japan. It’s the administrators’ decision, not us.
Hiroshi Ando
As for the lack of a post-race investigation into what proved to be the battle for second place, the KHRC said stewards reviewed the race “live and by video” before publishing the official results.
“After conducting the standard review of the race, determining that no further review or investigation was necessary to conclude that there were no incidents that altered the finish of the race, and seeing that there were no objections filed, the stewards posted the Kentucky Derby official.”
The Sierra Leone team pocketed US$1 million for second place.
As for Forever Young’s, they walked away with $500,000 in winnings.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
