OCEANPORT, N.J. — A steady line of horses paraded out of his barn on Wednesday morning, with Jason Servis giving whatever instructions necessary to each exercise rider and then making the short walk to the track to oversee the workouts.
In one sense, it was business as usual for the Monmouth Park trainer. But the reality is that things may never be quite the same for Servis, 62, now one of the most recognizable figures in racing after Maximum Security became the first horse ever disqualified after winning the Kentucky Derby.
Maximum Security returned to New Jersey before Servis, the horse arriving at the Shore on Tuesday (watch scenes from the horse’s arrival in the video at the top of the page). Servis had maintained a low profile during the national controversy — until now.
“It was a bad call. The best horse won the race that day. They weren’t beating him,’’ Servis told the Asbury Park Press, while getting back to work here after making the drive from Churchill Downs, stopping in his hometown of Charles Town, West Virginia, to see his parents. “There are too many things that were unsettling.’’
