Disqualified in the Derby, Saez shooting for Belmont win with Everfast

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jockey Luis Saez ranks second in North America in wins (140) through the first five months of this year, but it’s the one win that was taken away by the Churchill Downs stewards that still resonates throughout the sport.

On May 4, Saez thought he had won his first Kentucky Derby when he crossed the finish line first on Maximum Security. But 22 minutes later, after an objection lodged by two riders and deliberation by the stewards, Maximum Security and Saez were disqualified from first and placed 17th for interference. Further, the stewards handed Saez a 15-day suspension for careless riding. While the owners of Maximum Security are attempting to fight the disqualification in court, Saez has appealed his suspension to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, an appeal that awaits a hearing date.

Saez still isn’t sure what caused Maximum Security to come out a few paths around the five-sixteenths pole, impeding War of Will, who then impeded Long Range Toddy, who finished 17th.

“The first thing I remember is he was looking everywhere, he was paying attention to everything,” Saez, in a recent interview, said of Maximum Security. “You can see his ears were [forward] and he was watching everything, but I never thought he was going to do something like that. I remember he makes a weird move and the first thing I do is try to correct my horse. At that point, when I tried to correct him, somebody was behind me and I felt somebody clip my heels. I grabbed him right away and I thought, it’s not that bad.”

Even after watching the replay, Saez didn’t think he would be disqualified, believing that a lot happens in the Derby, a race that can be run with a maximum of 20 horses. This year’s Derby had 19.

“I didn’t think they would take him down because there’s always stuff that happens in the Derby,” Saez said. “I’ve been riding in the Derby [since 2013] and I have so much trouble in the first turn and everybody can tell you that. The only thing I can say is that’s done, we have to keep working and see what’s next.”

What’s next, in the immediate term, is Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, where Saez will be aboard Everfast, who, under Joel Rosario, finished second in the Preakness. Rosario chose to ride Sir Winston, the Peter Pan runner-up, in the Belmont.

Dale Romans, the trainer of Everfast didn’t hesitate to grab Saez, who is a regular on the New York Racing Association circuit and knows Belmont Park well.

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“I think he’s one of the best riders in the country. I’ve had a lot of luck with him,” said Romans, for whom Saez has won graded stakes with Promises Fulfilled, Coach Rocks, and Brody’s Cause.

The Derby wasn’t the first major race that had controversy after Saez finished first. In 2013, after he won the Travers at Saratoga on Will Take Charge, Saez was accused by the connections of runner-up Moreno of using an electrical device, known as a battery, on his horse. After a several-weeks-long investigation by the New York Gaming Commission, Saez was exonerated of any wrongdoing.

“When I won the Travers it was the biggest moment I ever had,” Saez said. “The next day, everybody was talking that I cheated. That was pretty bad because I never did anything. They checked my locker. I told them you can go to my house, you can check my car, everything.”

Saez has developed a reputation as an aggressive rider, a reputation that those he rides for and those who wager on him appreciate. However, Saez has been penalized numerous times for careless riding, most notably “for failure to maintain a straight course.”

A 10-day suspension he served this winter at Gulfstream Park likely cost him that meet’s riding title. He fell one win short of Irad Ortiz Jr.

Since 2016, at NYRA tracks, Saez has served 21 days and been fined $3,000 for careless riding. After recently withdrawing an appeal of a suspension handed him last November for an incident at Aqueduct, Saez will serve five calendar days in September after the Saratoga meet ends.

“Everybody gets days,” Saez said. “I just try to win all the time and sometimes the horses will surprise you and come out. It’s part of the game. Definitely, I always try to get better and work hard and try to stay straight on my horses.”

Jose Ortiz, the 2017 Eclipse Award-winning jockey who rides against Saez in Florida and New York, has no issues with his colleague.

“Sometimes, he’s very aggressive and tries to do too much, but the name of the game is trying to win,” Ortiz said. “Sometimes you get a suspension and don’t put anybody in trouble. He’s not careless; we shouldn’t be afraid him. He knows what he’s doing out there.”

Trainer Jason Servis said Saez will definitely be back on Maximum Security when he runs again, possibly in the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 16.

“He’s hard to get by, strong,” Servis said. “It never ceases to amaze me. He wins at Gulfstream, pays $32, $28. You got the leading rider – how do those horses pay that much? I think he’s terrific.”

Saez called the Florida Derby victory on Maximum Security the biggest of his career. He said he can’t wait to ride him again wherever that may be. Saez also can’t wait until next May when he hopes he gets another chance to win the Kentucky Derby.

“I feel like we can win the race again. We’re going to try as hard as we can and try to see if we can win another one,” Saez said. “That’s my first thing I was thinking: come back in one year and win the race again and that would make me feel good.”