The same day as word of Forte's DQ broke, the connections of last year's underdog Derby upsetter, Rich Strike (Keen Ice), also got dragged into the headlines for a cringe-worthy cameo.

The case is under appeal, with the only certainty being that it, too, is likely to linger in the courts for a long, long time.

on the basis of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication positive. Two days later, on May 11, Forte was disqualified from the GI Hopeful S. That would be the 2-year-old champ Forte ( Violence), who on May 9 was revealed to have failed a drug test at Saratoga last September, with the public kept in the dark the entire eight months afterward until the scoop was leaked to the New York Times. That was followed a few days later by proponents and opponents of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) sparring in federal court, where the highlighting of racing's recent, grim headlines to prove points underscored a nasty turn in a two-year-old lawsuit that has no end in sight.Īdditionally, Mage was eclipsed in the news by the colt who was favored to beat him, but had to scratch on the morning of the Derby with a foot bruise.

It has to do with overlapping waves of chaos commandeering the game like a searing mint julep hangover that won't go away.Ĭolleague Bill Finley wrote in this space last week about the seven horse deaths at Churchill Downs that overshadowed Mage's Derby score. That's not so much because the spotlight on his accomplishment has dimmed. You could make the argument that the diminutive, white-blazed chestnut with the endearing overbite has enjoyed one of the least-scrutinized post-Derby weeks of any winner in recent history. Of all the potential excuses for GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage ( Good Magic) not emerging victorious from the GI Preakness S., intense media pressure is unlikely to be one of them. Next week at this time, we'll know if the sport is on the cusp of another Triple Crown sweep.

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