Huge upset: Maximum Security turned over at 1-20 in Pegasus Stakes

Some six weeks after being disqualified from first in the Kentucky Derby, Gary and Mary West's Maximum Security was defeated in a more conventional manner at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

Dropped from first to 17th for interference in the Kentucky Derby, the homebred son of New Year's Day suffered his first clear defeat in the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes for three-year-olds as Red Oak Stable's King For A Day hounded him throughout and then edged clear in the final half furlong to post a length victory over the 1-20 favourite.

"It stinks getting beat, but it's horseracing," said Jason Servis, who trains Maximum Security.

Maximum Security stumbled at the start but still grabbed the lead along the rail in the 1m½f contest, with King For A Day about a half-length behind him through six furlongs.

Maximum Security led by half a length half a furlong out but could not withstand a final surge from King For A Day, who was coming off a win in last month's Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico for trainer Todd Pletcher on his 2019 debut.

"I think the stumble cost me the race," said Servis, who did not make a final decision to run Maximum Security until shortly before the post position draw on Friday. "I think his next race will be better."

Next month's Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park has been targeted as Maximum Security's next start.

"He hasn't run for a while so he was a little desperate in the gate," jockey Luis Saez said about Maximum Security. "He wanted to break so he broke so fast he stumbled. He was all right after that but I sensed he was getting a little tired in the final half-mile.

"When we came to the half-mile pole, I asked for a little more but he got a little tired when I asked him to keep going. In the end he was a little tired. I'm not disappointed. Definitely not. He will be okay. I think he needed the race. This is horseracing. Anything can happen. He's a real good horse. That hasn't changed. I think the next time he will be okay."

The final time over the fast track was 1m 42.59s. M and A Racing's Direct Order, who is also trained by Servis, finished nearly six lengths behind Maximum Security in third.

For owner Steve Brunetti of Red Oak Stable, the Father's Day victory was highly emotional as it came about 15 months after his father, longtime Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti, passed away.

"Todd was extremely confident and it seems every move we've made with Todd throughout the years in a big race has proven to be very satisfactory. I just put my trust in him," Brunetti said about the victory by his homebred son of Uncle Mo.

"It's Monmouth Park, it's Father's Day and I thought maybe in some strange way it was meant to be. It was. I'm very humbled. This means so much. I just wish my dad was here to enjoy horses like King For A Day and [Grade 1 winner] Mind Control."

King For A Day is out of the French Deputy mare Ubetwereven and his victory, the third in five career starts, made Brunetti even happier that he decided to send some of his mares to Uncle Mo a few years ago.

"I got lucky. I bred a few mares to Uncle Mo when he was $20-25,000 [stud fee]," he said. "I'm reaping the rewards now."

King For A Day, ridden by Joe Bravo, paid $13.80 to win as the second choice in the field of six.

"I liked how his paper looked," Bravo said. "The horse has been coming into his own. I texted Todd Pletcher this week and he called me back in two seconds to tell me how high he was on this horse. He was in full control the whole race."

The Haskell seems as good a starting point as any for King For A Day to collect a Grade 1 win, but Red Oak racing manager Rick Sacco was in no rush to talk about the next start.

"We have a 72-hour rule at Red Oak before we talk about the next race," Sacco said. "We're going to enjoy this performance to the fullest and then think about the Haskell and the Travers."

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