How Should Leaders View the Stewards’ Tough Call at the Kentucky Derby?

How Should Leaders View the Stewards’ Tough Call at the Kentucky Derby? 

The generally backfield sports’ world of horse racing grabbed the headlines on Saturday when the racing stewards disqualified Maximum Security. The “baby” horse (as his jockey Luis Saez described him), crossed the finish line first but after reviewing the tapes for twenty minutes, the stewards ruled that he jumped a puddle on the rain-soaked track. Maximum Security blocked his rival, War of Will, and the technical winner finished one and three-quarters of a length in front of the long-shot, Country House, (65-1 odds), who the stewards bravely called the winner.

Not a popular decision since the Derby — running since 1875 — has only disqualified one horse in 1968 for a banned substance in the horse’s blood.  Here’s what I wondered. Did gender play a role in the decision making?

 WHO IS BARBARA BORDEN?

The chief steward, Barbara Borden, was a no-nonsense racing veteran who worked her way up after laboring as a groom, exercise rider and pony person. She then served for seven years completing charts for the Form and then worked at the licensing department as a sample technician and assistant horse identifier. In Borden’s current position, she beat out 20 applicants, to become one of the rare women to serve as a steward.

ARE WOMEN MORE LIKELY TO BE WHISTLEBLOWERS?

Some experts certainly think so.  Consider, for example, the Enron, Kerr-McGee and Citigroup whistleblowers, all of whom were women. The argument is that women see the downside of risk, while men see the upside. In addition, some experts suggest, women have the “motherhood gene” and are prone to protect the powerless. (Not that I would necessarily agree with this gender stereotype!) And, let’s face it, while we’ve made progress in promoting women to top positions in corporate America, women are still outsiders, and research shows that outliers are the ones more likely to raise red flags.