Well, there is certainly a lot to unpack after that Kentucky Derby. Let’s start with the disqualification of first place finisher Maximum Security. For the first time in the 145-year history of the Kentucky Derby, the first horse under the wire was disqualified on race day, with “race day” being the key phrase there. Let’s not forget that Dancer’s Image, who finished first in the 1968 Kentucky Derby, was many months later disqualified for the alleged and vigorously disputed finding of bute in his post-race test, and Forward Pass was eventually determined the winner of that Derby. But this was the first time a horse who finished first in the Derby was disqualified for an infraction on the track. And not surprisingly, the decision by the stewards to take Maximum Security down and move 65-1 longshot Country House up to first was highly controversial. The crux of the matter is what you consider to be an actionable foul, and the number of definitions of that roughly equals the number of regular participants in this game, which is a whole lot. But the general rule of thumb, and one I strongly subscribe to, is if a horse does something to a competitor that costs that competitor a better placing, then it is a foul. I think most people would agree with this. The problem is, the Kentucky Derby has, over the years, developed some sort of immunity to this reasonable approach, and a lot of nasty cowboy stuff has been overlooked. And that’s not right. The Kentucky Derby should be officiated exactly like the many thousands of other races that are run every year. And that means if a horse does something in the Kentucky Derby that clearly costs another a better placing, then that horse should pay the price, whether he finishes first, or fifth, or whatever. Any reasonable person who took a close look at what Maximum Security did late on the far turn, would have to admit if they were being honest with themselves that he veered off the inside and caused not only War of Will to be put in precariously tight and check, but also impeded Long Range Toddy and Bodexpress. But while Maximum Security was disqualified and placed 17th behind the three opponents mentioned above, he did the big number on War of Will, and unquestionably cost him a better placing. And that is simply unfair. It doesn’t matter that runner up Country House really wasn’t affected, or that Country House’s jockey, Flavien Prat, just took a shot by claiming a foul that wound up exposing what Maximum Security really did. And it doesn’t matter that as a result, Country House became the luckiest horse on the planet. What does matter is, Maximum Security and jockey Luis Saez committed a legitimate foul – on War of Will, at the very least – and they had to pay the piper for it. And what also matters is, what would universally be considered a foul in every other horse race in the United States is now also considered a foul in the Kentucky Derby. The Derby no longer has an unspoken exemption. And that is a very good thing. As for the performances of the Derby participants, the view of that is as muddy (or sloppy) as the track they raced on. Unlike Friday’s track, on which speed was very good, Churchill’s main track on Saturday was completely fair for most of the day. But then the rain came, and maybe the track turned speed-favoring again, and maybe that helped carry pace player Maximum Security. Maybe. Who knows? As for Maximum Security, the ongoing question I have is, how can he be this good? He is trained by Jason Servis, who is winning races this year at a 30 percent clip, and who won races at the Gulfstream championship meet at something like a 42 percent clip. Maximum Security made his debut in late December at Gulfstream in a $16,000 maiden claimer, and wasn’t even the favorite. How can an outfit as smart as this be so wrong about this horse to risk him for peanuts? And Country House was eligible to a first-level allowance race going into this Derby. So, please excuse me if I’m still waiting to be won over by this group of 3-year-olds. Derby weekend notes: ► Serengeti Empress’s victory in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks was a surprise to me, and for reasons other than the mere fact she went off at 13-1. The Oaks was a race that, on paper, was absolutely loaded with early speed, and Serengeti Empress was the widest speed of all having drawn post 13 of 14. Moreover, most people knew by Oaks time that Friday’s drying-out main track at Churchill was quite kind to early speed, which gave a strong incentive for all the other speed horses drawn inside of Serengeti Empress to go. Yet somehow, Serengeti Empress was able to clear with the early lead and get to the inside before even making the bend into the first turn. Still, despite the fact she was able to pull off a trip that was difficult to envision, and even though she went with the flow of the track, Serengeti Empress’s Oaks win was well earned. That is because Serengeti Empress set half-mile and six-furlong fractions of 46.65 and 1:11.26, which were the fastest of Friday’s five main track route races. Yes, I know, the main track changed from sloppy to good to fast during the card. Nevertheless, those interior fractions set by Serengeti Empress were faster than what older males went in the Alysheba (47.71 and 1:11.67), older females went in the La Troienne (47.92 and 1:12.05), and what allowance fillies went in the race right after the Oaks (47.67 and 1:12.88). And Serengeti Empress was still able to turn back the stretch challenge from runner-up Liora, and win going away. The Oaks was not the first big effort from Serengeti Empress. She was terrific winning the Rachel Alexandra in February. That performance was the real reason why she was as low as 13-1 after she bled and was beaten more than 50 lengths in the Fair Grounds Oaks in her most recent outing. But Serengeti Empress has also thrown in some inexplicable duds, too, like her distant seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall, and her soundly beaten fourth in the Schuylerville last summer. She can be really good, or pretty bad, and until she exhibits some consistency, it makes it tough to fully embrace her. ► Bricks and Mortar will rarely win big style points, because he rarely causes jaws to drop with big win margins. The fact is, the 2 1/2 lengths by which he won the Pegasus World Cup Turf in January was easily the largest win margin of his career. But what is much more important is Bricks and Mortar is a stone-cold winner. His up-in-time score in Saturday’s Turf Classic – his second win already this year in a race with a seven-figure purse – was his eighth victory in 10 career starts. And it is clear that, at this point in time, he is the best male turf horse in America. Without question. I must, however, say a word about Turf Classic runner up Qurbaan. I admit I have a soft spot for Qurbaan. He has become a pet of mine. But while it might look on the face of it that Qurbaan had a perfect inside-out trip Saturday and was simply nailed by a better horse, there is a little more to the story than just that. It should be noted that many folks – jockeys and trainers included – commented that the inside on Churchill’s turf course Saturday was deeper than the footing in wider paths. Qurbaan raced inside to the stretch, while Bricks and Mortar was always positioned outside. The point is, Qurbaan is much better than many give him credit for. ► McKinzie was dominant winning Friday’s Alysheba, erasing the bitter taste of narrow defeats in his first two starts this year. The older dirt male division is so alarmingly shallow in terms of talent right now that it’s hard seeing McKinzie not being a major contender for a divisional title. ► McKinzie is targeting the Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard, and he may have picked up an intriguing opponent for that prestigious event in Mitole, who was impressive yet again winning Saturday’s Churchill Downs Stakes. Going into Saturday, the big question concerning Mitole was, could he stand up to real pace pressure? Even though he won five straight, all in blowout fashion, at least a few of those romps were aided by very favorable early paces. The most notable such score came just last month in the Count Fleet at Oaklawn, in which Mitole was literally the only true front-runner in a field of five. Well, after Saturday, there are no more pace questions about Mitole. We now know Mitole isn’t vulnerable to hot paces because he can be just as effective conceding the early lead if that’s what the circumstances call for. That’s what he did in the Churchill Downs. Mitole allowed Bobby’s Wicked One and Promises Fulfilled to battle it out up front, and still went on to win decisively. What Mitole also did in the Churchill Downs was successfully stretch from six furlongs, the only distance he had known before Saturday, to seven furlongs. And considering the stylish manner with which Mitole handled the added distance, there’s no reason to think he couldn’t go a little farther, like the one-turn mile of the Metropolitan. ► While on the subject of brilliant sprinters, World of Trouble, who romped in Friday’s Twin Spires Turf Sprint, is a machine, and that’s meant as a high compliment. It doesn’t matter if it’s firm turf or yielding, a fast dirt track or slop. It makes no difference if it’s five, 5 1/2, six, or seven furlongs. All World of Trouble does is run big every time. I’d love to see him, two-time male sprint champion Roy H, and if the Met Mile doesn’t work out, Mitole throw it down at some point. That would really be something to see. ► Let’s keep on the topic and mention Break Even, who left little doubt she’s currently the best 3-year-old filly sprinter around with her runaway score in Friday’s Eight Belles, her fourth such victory from as many career starts. Bellafina’s connections suggested after she finished fifth as the favorite in the Oaks that she would now focus on shorter races, so that means there is a chance of Break Even and Bellafina facing off over the summer, a very appealing prospect, indeed.