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Associated PressStewards review a questionable photo and rule that Jose Santos did not break any rules during his winning ride in the Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There was nothing to the photo finish, after all. There was nothing in jockey Jose Santos' right hand but a whip.
Questions about his winning ride in the Kentucky Derby were answered Monday when Churchill Downs stewards determined Santos had not broken the rules, ending a controversy that threatened to tarnish thoroughbred racing's premier event.
"There is no evidence that would suggest that Mr. Santos had any prohibited device in his possession or that he engaged in any improper actions during the race," chief steward Bernie Hettel said at a news conference.
It all started with a photograph brought to the stewards' attention by the Miami Herald.
The shot, by Getty Images, showed a dark area in the space between Santos' hand and his whip as he crossed the finish line.
When the stewards examined the photo magnified 250 times, it turned out to be two things: the silks of Jerry Bailey, who finished second aboard Empire Maker, and part of a strap from his goggles, Hettel said.
"One picture says it all, doesn't it?" Hettel said.
Santos can now focus on Saturday's Preakness, then the Belmont Stakes on June 7. If Funny Cide wins in Baltimore, he would have a chance to be the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown.
"I am thankful this nightmare is over," he said. "A week ago I was in the happiest moment of my life. And then this photograph came in, in Miami, and destroyed my career, actually.
"Angry? Anybody who has some false situation, they have to be very angry. It was a terrible situation for my family. My little boy, my No. 1 fan, he was at home and I told him everything would be okay. And he told me, "All the people who cheat in racing, Daddy, you're not a cheater.' I'm happy for them this is over."
The stewards' ruling followed a 90-minute meeting with Santos, his lawyer and his agent.
Funny Cide could have been disqualified if the stewards had determined that Santos carried something illegal, such as a battery or hand-held electrical device to shock the horse into running faster.
A Derby winner has been disqualified only once - Dancer's Image in 1968 after he was given banned medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner.
The stewards spent the weekend poring over scores of photos and videotape. They also searched the racetrack and turf course where Funny Cide and Santos crossed for postrace ceremonies May 3 and did not find any illegal device.
The stewards said they didn't consider comments made by Santos to the Herald and later disputed.
The paper reported that Santos said he carried an object in his hand during the race, something he called a "cue ring." No one in the industry has heard of it.
The jockey, who is from Chile and speaks English with a heavy accent, later said there was a misunderstanding. That he was talking about his "Q-Ray" bracelet for arthritis.
"The review was clearly painstakingly done and we certainly accept the result," said Tom Fiedler, executive editor of the Herald.
"I think the process unfolded as it should when a question arises."
Frank Carlson, a part-time horse racing writer for the Herald, told New York Racing Association vice president Bill Nader that there might have been a misunderstanding when he interviewed the jockey. Carlson's conversation with Nader was released in a statement by the NYRA at Belmont on Saturday. Later, in a statement released by the Herald, Carlson said he went through his notes and believed he quoted the jockey accurately.
Santos won the Eclipse Award in 1988 as the nation's outstanding jockey and was the leading rider in purse earnings from 1986 to '89.
In giving Santos his first Derby victory, 12-1 shot Funny Cide beat favorite Empire Maker by 13/4 lengths to become the first gelding to win the Derby since 1929.
Funny Cide was the first New York-bred horse to win the Derby, and that's what owner Jack Knowlton was celebrating in Albany, N.Y., when he got the news.
The horse was honored for its Derby victory by the New York Legislature in Albany.
"Funny Cide in 2:01.19 did what we in this Legislature have been trying to do for decades," state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said. "It put us on the map."
PREAKNESS: D. Wayne Lukas plans to saddle two horses Saturday in his bid to win the Preakness for the sixth time. The Hall of Fame trainer, who already entered Scrimshaw in the $1-million race, informed the Pimlico racing office that he also will bring Ten Cents a Shine, who finished eighth at the Kentucky Derby, three spots ahead of Scrimshaw.