Day: May 7, 2019

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has rejected an appeal filed on behalf of Maximum Security, the horse that crossed the Kentucky Derby finish line first on Sunday only to then be disqualified.

The commission said that under the rules, the decision by race officials was not subject to an appeal.

Gary West said he was “stunned, shocked and in total disbelief” when 22 minutes after crossing the finish line in first place, officials disqualified Maximum Security for appearing to impede other horses.

Second-place finisher Country House — a 65-1 long shot — was declared the winner.

“Winning it was the most euphoric thing I have probably ever had in our lives and disappointment when they took the horse down for the first time in history,” West said.

Replays of Saturday’s dramatic race showed a muddy track as Maximum Security veered out of his lane and got in the way of other horses around him — a clear violation of the rules of thoroughbred racing in nearly every state where the sport is run.

West complained that the field was too crowded for Saturday’s race.

“Churchill Downs, because they’re a greedy organization, has 20 horses rather than 14 like you have … in every other race in America. Just because they can make more money, they’re willing to risk horses’ lives and people’s lives. It’s like a rodeo out there,” West said.

Track president Kevin Flanery sent an email to Reuters denying West’s allegations that a crowded track led to his horse’s violation. Flanery said the number of horses who run in the Kentucky derby has been consistent for many years.

West says he will not run Maximum Strength in the Preakness on May 18 in Baltimore, saying there is no chance of his horse winning racing’s Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes — and that two weeks is too soon to run him again. 
…

One hundred people dressed up as Evita Peron and paraded in the streets of Argentina’s capital Monday, a day before the 100th anniversary of the birth of the charismatic first lady.

Eva Maria Duarte, who died in 1952 from cancer at age 33, was an actress who became the second wife of Juan Peron, an army general who served as president for two different spans.

Best known as “Evita,” she was idolized as a “champion of the poor” and helped women obtain the right to vote.

The performers marched through the streets of Buenos Aires to a building decorated with a large cast-iron portrait of Evita. Some wore her trademark top-knot hairstyle, while others donned ballroom dresses in homage to the combative first lady.

“We want to highlight the image of Eva Peron as a combative woman. As feminists, we believe in her struggle,” said Nora Elia Savio, an actress. “In her time, she fought for our rights.”

Evita’s persona has transcended time and borders.

The global fascination began in the 1970s with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Evita.” Then came Alan Parker’s film starring Madonna based on the musical, and it was followed by Evita’s dresses shown at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of a Christian Dior exhibit.

The Evita Museum in Buenos Aires recently inaugurated an exhibition titled “Childhood and Peronism, the toys of the Eva Peron Foundation” to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth.
…

When Tiger Woods won the Masters on April 14, President Donald Trump declared he was going to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and ordered his aides to schedule the event as soon as possible.

On Monday, Trump got what he asked for. At a ceremony in the sun-splashed White House Rose Garden, Trump made the 43-year-old Woods the fourth, and youngest, professional golfer to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, after Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Charlie Sifford.

With 81 PGA Tour victories, Woods is one shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record, and with 15 major tournament victories, he trails only Nicklaus, who has 18.

But it was his dramatic Masters victory at Augusta National Golf Club last month, ending an 11-year major championship drought, that capped a years-long comeback from injuries and drama in his personal life, including an arrest two years ago for driving under the influence.

Trump eagerly leapt onto the Tiger bandwagon. The two have played golf a number of times, most recently with Nicklaus in February at Trump’s course in Jupiter, Florida.

At a ceremony attended by several U.S. lawmakers, Trump called Woods “a true legend.”

“He’s a great guy,” said Trump. “He introduced countless new people to the sport of golf, from every background and walk of life. … Tiger Woods is a global symbol of American excellence, devotion and drive.”

Woods, wearing a blue suit (not the Masters green jacket) was joined at the ceremony by his mother, Kultida, his two children, Sam and Charlie, his girlfriend, Erica Herman, and his caddie, Joe LaCava.

“You’ve seen the good and the bad the highs and the lows, and I wouldn’t be here without your help,” Woods said.

Speaking directly to his loved ones, Woods added: “You guys have meant so much to me in my life. I’ve battled and I’ve tried to hang in there and I’ve tried to come back and play a great game of golf again.”

With the golf world wondering if he has enough high-level golf in him to match Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors, Woods left a clue as to his aspirations, calling his recent Masters experience “certainly one of the highest that I’ve accomplished so far in my life on the golf course.”
…