NEW ORLEANS – A little more than 48 hours prior to the Louisiana Derby, jockey Gabriel Saez was about as far from the winner’s circle as could be, lying face down in the dirt on the Fair Grounds backstretch Thursday. He had been dislodged from a horse who shied when he got close to the rail, banged into the rail, and sent Saez flying. “I thought I had broken my elbow,” Saez said Saturday afternoon. “I thought, ‘This is not happening two days before the Derby.’ I thank Jesus. I pray to him every day.” Those prayers were answered Saturday. Still body-sore from that accident, Saez went out and guided By My Standards – who owned only a maiden win in four starts – to a 22-1 upset in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, setting off a raucous winner’s circle celebration in this major prep for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. :: DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with comments from Jay Privman and Mike Watchmaker “What did I [bleeping] tell you!” Saez shouted as equally animated owner Chester Thomas rushed to congratulate him when Saez brought By My Standards back to the winner’s circle. “We got the job done and we’re going to the Derby. How about that?” Thomas said later. Trainer Bret Calhoun, who was winning the Louisiana Derby for the first time, said there “would probably be a little party tonight.” “This game has tremendous highs and tremendous lows,” Calhoun said. While those connected to By My Standards were enjoying that tremendous high, those associated with War of Will saw a meet’s worth of good fortune evaporate. War of Will was sent off the 4-5 favorite following earlier victories in the Lecomte and Risen Star, but on Saturday he lost position early and never could recover, finishing ninth of 11. “Two to three strides out of the gate he lost his action behind,” said his jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, who said that and traffic problems conspired against War of Will. “He got tired of me fighting him,” Gaffalione said. Mark Casse, War of Will's trainer, about 90 minutes after the race reported to the Fair Grounds publicity department that War of Will "was significantly off after the race." "We think he strained maybe a muscle or whatever," said Casse, who said he spoke to Dr. Robert McMartin. "He thinks he maybe caught his stifle or something. We feel like he’ll probably be a little better tomorrow and we’re going to further evaluate him." Asked if it was too soon to know his status for the Kentucky Derby, Casse said, "I mean, it is. I would not absolutely rule him out because this is something that he can get over very quickly." "We’ll see. The good news is he hasn’t broken anything. It’s a muscle strain of some sort. We’re confident of that,” Casse said. By My Standards ($47) always was forwardly placed. Fourth for the first six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile race, he tenaciously reeled-in Spinoff in the final sixteenth to win by three-quarters of a length. Spinoff finished five lengths clear of third-place Sueno, who volleyed for the early lead with Lemniscate but couldn’t stay with the top two down the lane. Country House, who loomed a major threat nearing the top of the lane after going five paths wide on the far turn, was fourth, then came, in order, Mr. Money, Roiland, Bankit, Hog Creek Hustle, War of Will, Limonite, and Lemniscate. By My Standards was timed in 1:49.53 for 1 1/8 miles on the fast main track. The race was hand-timed owing to a malfunction of the electronic timer. The victory was worth $600,000 in prize money, as well as 100 points on the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the field for the Derby, thus guaranteeing By My Standards a spot in the field. The 40 points for second earned by Spinoff also should be enough to get him in. “A little disappointed he couldn't polish it off, but a good-effort second race since coming back and first at a mile and an eighth,” said his trainer, Todd Pletcher, who said he’d evaluate Spinoff after he returns to the Palm Beach Downs training center in Florida “and see how he is.” War of Will already had earned 60 points for his stakes wins earlier in the meet, but his status is now uncertain owing to being off after the race. By My Standards is a colt by two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Goldencents, one of the most underrated horses to compete this decade. By My Standards was purchased as a 2-year-old in training last April for $150,000, but did not make it to the races until Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs. He finished second in his debut, sprinting, then stretched out after arriving here for this meet. He was second against maidens in December, then was third in a maiden race in January, a performance that left Calhoun frustrated. “I didn’t know how he got beat that day. He just hadn’t learned to finish off a race,” Calhoun said. By My Standards finally broke through last month, in start number four, beating maidens by 4 1/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles. “He finished off the race, and from that point on he’s been a different horse,” Calhoun said. Still, Calhoun conceded “it was a big step going from a maiden to the Louisiana Derby.” “We had to find out if he measured up,” Calhoun said. Saez, for one, thought he would, based on the way By My Standards had worked for him in recent weeks. Two of his three drills following the maiden win were the best of the morning at the distance. “The way he was doing, I really thought he was coming along,” Saez said. Saez won the Louisiana Derby 10 years ago with Friesan Fire, who subsequently finished 18th of 19 as the favorite in the Derby won by Mine That Bird. That came one year after Saez had the most difficult day of his life. He had finished second in the Derby aboard the filly Eight Belles behind Big Brown. A quarter-mile after the wire, she broke both front legs, and had to be euthanized. Saez has had plenty of emotional and physical pain in his career, as recently as Thursday. “I’m pretty sore. My neck is killing me,” Saez said. Winning, though, cured all. “All my pain went away.” - additional reporting by Mike Welsch