Kentucky Derby 2019 Winner: William Mott, Country House's Celebration, Reaction

It was the most unusual of Kentucky Derby races, as the horse that finished first Saturday was not the winner of the Run for the Roses.

Instead, Country House, a 65-1 shot that had just one win in his previous six starts, was awarded the victory because of a disqualification.

Maximum Security broke quickly from the gate, led all the way around the track and had seemingly won the 145th edition of the Kentucky Derby. However, the colt changed his running lane abruptly as he was reaching the top of the stretch, and he nearly had his heels clipped by War of Will, with the sudden move also affecting Long Range Toddy.

Country House was never in any danger but ended up being the beneficiary of the move because he finished second. Stewards studied the incident for nearly 20 minutes after the race before disqualifying the winner.

Kentucky Derby Results and Payouts

Finish: Horse; Jockey; Trainer (Payout)

1 (DQ). Maximum Security; Luis Saez; Jason Servis*

2. Country House; Flavien Prat; William I. Mott ($1.86 million)

3. Code of Honor; John R. Velazquez; Claude R. McGaughey III ($600,000)

4. Tacitus; Jose L. Ortiz; William I. Mott ($300,000)

5. Improbable; Irad Ortiz, Jr.; Bob Baffert ($150,000)

6. Game Winner; Joel Rosario; Bob Baffert ($90,000)

7. Master Fencer; Julien R. Leparoux; Tsunoda K

8. War of Will; Tyler Gaffalione; Mark E. Casse

9. Plus Que Parfait; Ricardo Santana, Jr.; Brendan P. Walsh

10. Win Win Win; Julian Pimentel; Michael J. Trombetta

11. Cutting Humor; Mike E. Smith; Todd A. Pletcher

12. By My Standards; Gabriel Saez; W. Bret Calhoun

13. Vekoma; Javier Castellano; George Weaver

14. Bodexpress; Chris Landeros; Gustavo Delgado

15. Tax; Junior Alvarado; Danny Gargan

16. Roadster; Florent Geroux; Bob Baffert

17. Long Range Toddy; Jon Kenton Court; Steven M. Asmussen

18. Spinoff; Manuel Franco; Todd A. Pletcher

19. Gray Magician; Drayden Van Dyke; Peter Miller

*Dropped to 17th.

Kentucky Derby Betting Payouts

Win, Place, Show

Country House: $132.40, $56.60, $24.60

Code of Honor: N/A, $15.20, $9.80

Tacitus: N/A, N/A, $5.60

Exacta (20-13): $3,009.60

Trifecta (20-13-8): $5,737.65

Superfecta (20-13-8-5): $51,400.10

The disqualification gave Hall of Fame trainer William I. Mott the first Kentucky Derby triumph of this career. It was clearly a moment of happiness for him, but the manner of the win engendered mixed emotions.

"It feels pretty darn good," Mott said, per the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham. "It was an odd way to do it, and we hate to back into any of these things. We'll just have to prove ourselves in the future."

Jockey Flavien Prat anxiously awaited the outcome as the minutes ticked off the clock. When stewards finally made their decision, Prat reacted with the kind of joy that only comes with winning the Kentucky Derby on a huge long shot.

Mott was also anxious as he awaited the decision, but he made his case while he was interviewed by NBC, saying that Maximum Security had gotten out of his lane and put other horses at risk. He said he did not want to do the stewards' job for them, but he indicated that if the race had been a standard competition and not the most glamorous race in North America, Maximum Security would be disqualified.

The stewards, who viewed the incident from five angles, ended up agreeing with Country House's trainer.

Maximum Security trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez had been able to briefly celebrate what they thought was a brilliant victory in the Kentucky Derby, and both appeared devastated by the decision. Servis had already called family members shortly after Maximum Security crossed the finish line.

His elation quickly turned to profound disappointment.

Saez had explained to the national TV audience that his horse had veered out because he became "scared by the crowd," but he said he was able to get him back into his lane in short order.

While no Kentucky Derby winner had ever been knocked out of first place for an incident on the race track, Dancer's Image was disqualified after winning the 1968 race, and the the Derby triumph was awarded to Forward Pass.

That disqualification was the result of Dancer's Image having tested positive for a banned substance, and it did not come on race day. Bettors who had wagered on Dancer's Image were paid shortly after the race in standard fashion. However, the horse's ownership did not get the winner's share.

The ownership group tried to appeal the decision in court, but that move was rebuffed.

Maximum Security co-owner Gary West was enraged by the decision and indicated that a legal appeal was in consideration. 

"I think this is the most egregious disqualification in the history of horse racing," West said to the Associated Press by phone (h/t ESPN.com). "And not just because it's our horse."

The fight for the 145th Kentucky Derby may not be over.