The 145th Kentucky Derby ended in triumph for Maximum Security and, later, Country House. The Derby favorite crossed the line first but the result was objected to, causing a lengthy delay as officials looked at whether Maximum Security came off the line in the home stretch and made the other horses in the field cause contact and impact the finish.
It took a long, long time to get an answer, and Maximum Security was eventually disqualified and the win was given to Country House. It was a Derby finish unlike any other, and it actually had a ripple effect with other sporting events. NBC, which aired the Derby and also airs NHL playoff games, had a conundrum on its hands as the lengthy review prevented post-race festivities with the results unofficial.
With the Boston Bruins scheduled to play Game 5 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets, some wondered how they would watch the game itself. And reporters in the building soon indicated that the start of Game 5 would actually be delayed.
The start of CBJ-BOS Game 5 has been delayed by five minutes. The Kentucky Derby is running long.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 4, 2019
And indeed, it was. The Blue Jackets official Twitter account actually said it was a “horse” delay.
🐎 delay
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 4, 2019
This isn’t the first time NBC, the longtime broadcast partner for the Triple Crown, has irked hockey fans with its Derby coverage. The network once cut away from a playoff game for a lengthy pre-race coverage, putting the game on another one of its networks.
On Saturday the Bruins-Blue Jackets game still started without NBC airing it, as Derby coverage finished up and went to Boston for Game 5 a few minutes into the first period. No horses are expected to win they hockey game, but we’ll keep you posted if anything crazy happens.
