Country House's team 'examining our options' amid long layoff

As the 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House continues an extended layoff dating back to May at Blackwood Stables in Versailles, Ky., a member of the 3-year-old colt’s ownership group said plans for 2020 -- to race, or head to stud? -- remain undetermined.

“We are examining our options at this stage,” said Guiness McFadden, who campaigns the son of Lookin At Lucky with Maury Shields, wife of the late breeder, Jerry Shields, and LNJ Foxwoods. “That is where we are at.”

Trained by the Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Country House was, of course, placed atop the Kentucky Derby running order when stewards made the call to disqualify Maximum Security, who was first across the wire but also the first horse in the race’s history to have his victory stripped due to interference.

Country House’s controversial rise overshadowed a career day for the colt regardless of the stewards’ decision. The 65-1 longshot who headed to Churchill Downs with merely a maiden win and a pair of stakes placings finished just 1 ¾ lengths behind Maximum Security.

It quickly became apparent after the Derby that Country House would miss the final two legs of the Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, once Mott said a cough led to an examination at the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

After moving Country House to Saratoga for the summer, Mott in June then called for “a good two-month vacation,” one that has now nearly lingered into the new year, raising questions about the colt's future while many of his peers return from their respective offseason breaks.

“He’s doing good -- doing much better,” McFadden said of Country House’s current condition. “He’s coming along. We’re happy with where he’s at. He’s doing better.”

Country House’s record stands at 2-2-1 in seven starts with earnings of more than $2.1 million. That all appears safely in tact after a Kentucky judge ruled in November to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the owners of Maximum Security seeking to have the Derby disqualification overruled. Gary West has since issued a statement saying his attorneys will appeal.