Polo is a dangerous sport. When horses packing a ton of muscle are chasing a ball up and down a 300-yard-long field, it would get hairy if there were not rules keeping them from crashing into each other. The basic precept is that a struck ball follows a line that defines a right of way that should not be crossed.
The same principle, without the ball, applied to the Kentucky Derby last May. Coming into the homestretch, the charging horses each had a line, some following others. Maximum Security veered off his line into the path of War of Will, nearly causing the latter to go down, which might have precipitated a disastrous pileup.
Maximum Security crossed the finish line first but was disqualified. Controversy raged over the decision because never before in history had the first finisher of the Derby been denied the winner's blanket of roses. Andy Busch, who retired as a professional polo player after 30 years, agreed with the verdict. “It was a dangerous move,” Busch said. “Just because it hasn’t been called in the past, that doesn’t mean it’s not a legitimate call. It’s the same in polo; the same in bicycle racing. If you’re riding a bicycle, and you hit the back tire in front of you, you eat it. It’s life and death.”