Gary and Mary West

Even as rival owners of horses that finished behind Maximum Security (New Year's Day) are threatening legal action to get the allegedly doped 3-year-old champ disqualified from previous wins, Gary and Mary West are forging ahead with their 10-month federal court odyssey to overturn the controversial GI Kentucky Derby stewards' in-race interference DQ that stripped their colt of the honor, prestige and prize money of America's most important horse race. "But for the stewards' nonfeasance and misfeasance, Maximum Security would have been declared the official winner, and Plaintiffs would have...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency MCCARTHY UNVEILS PRICEY UNCLE MO COLT 2nd-SA, $55K, Msw, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 3:00p.m. Michael McCarthy saddles a firster with a big price tag in Mr. & Mrs. William Warren Jr.'s $1.4-million KEESEP purchase BELIEVE NOW (Uncle Mo). He is out of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Secret, who is a half-sister to MSW Inspired (Unbridled's Song); SWs & GSP Silver City (Unbridled's Song) and Elope (Gone West); and SW Initiation (Deputy Minister). Bob Baffert has a pair of firsters who cannot be overlooked in American...

The first foal from Code West (Lemon Drop Kid--Charitabledonation, by Saint Ballado), a five-time stakes winner who raced mostly in the southwest, was born out of the Newfoundland mare Sephora early Tuesday morning. Code West, who originally raced for Gary and Mary West before being acquired by Bryan Hawk and becoming a mainstay at Zia and Albuquerque in the mid-2010s, earned $828,727 in 37 career starts. He stands at WestWin Farms in Purcell, OK for $1,500 LFSN.

Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA--Maximum Security (New Year's Day) continues to put his controversial disqualification in last year's GI Kentucky Derby further and further in the rear-view mirror, striding home a powerful winner of the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup Saturday night in Riyadh. Making his first start of the year, the 4-year-old was floated to the center of the track down the backstretch and was shuffled in traffic as he found ground to shadow the pacesetting Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man). Mucho Gusto drifted out at the top of the lane, forcing...

Maximum Security (New Year's Day)'s sophomore season had plenty of ups and downs, but, in the end, he proved he truly was the best of his generation. Dangled for a $16,000 tag when winning his debut in December of 2018, the homebred kicked off 2019 with a pair of dominant starter optional claiming scores at Gulfstream Jan. 24 and Feb. 20, respectively. The bay jumped right to the top of the class ladder after that and showed that he belonged there with a 3 1/2-length victory in the GI Xpressbet.com...

On New Year's Day, David Grening broke the news in the Daily Racing Form that Coolmore had purchased a 50% interest in the racing and breeding rights of Gary and Mary West's homebred Maximum Security (New Year's Day). (Disclosure: The Wests and their racing manager, Ben Glass, are retained clients of WTC, Inc.). The colt is to stand at Coolmore America (Ashford Stud) in Kentucky at the end of his career, but he is scheduled to race this year and has some major targets on his slate, including the new...

Maximum Security (New Year's Day) faces a speed-laden field of six foes as he looks to bounce back in Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park, which carries a "Win and You're In" berth to this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The saga the Gary and Mary West homebred has been embroiled in is well documented--a controversial DQ from first to 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby led to plenty of debate, and litigation, and the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby winner skipped the next two legs of the...