A committee of City Council members heard testimony from concerned parties over the past several days regarding the controversial photo finish from last Summer’s Cinniapolis Derby. The committee found no new compelling information to pursue the release of the photo finish to the public. After an initial public backlash at the decision to withhold the photo, tensions seemed to have eased over the past several weeks.

The self-proclaimed star witness, Karen Jefferson, promised conclusive evidence that would overturn the results of the race. Ms. Jefferson was subpoenaed for her testimony, but refused to comply. “The information I possess is very valuable. More valuable than the purse we are owed as the winning horse. I’m not giving that away for free. No way,” she said. At this moment, nobody seems to know exactly what kind of information Ms. Jefferson may be holding, including her husband, Ed Jefferson, who trained the second-place finisher Snoozy Bubbles. “Yeah, she won’t even share this nugget with me. I’m not sure what she’s talking about,” he said.

The committee mulled releasing the photo to the public but ultimately determined that would only serve to rile up the public again and stir up more controversy. The committee chairwoman, City Manager Justine Wellington, said, “The committee was satisfied with the testimony of those who cooperated. We are thankful for their participation. The public has largely moved away from this topic and we see no need to investigate any further. We heard from the judges, jockeys, and a few of the trainers involved in the Derby. We also spoke with prominent national horse racing analysts. We all saw the photo too. Everything boiled down to ‘nothing to see here’, as they say. The photo was not doctored nor was there any testimony to suggest foul play between the judges and Mr. Gondola.” Then, why not release the photo to the public? “The Cinniapolis public as a whole has proven to be a bit too dim to comprehend basic information. Any information coming from elected officials or business leaders is immediately turned into a conspiracy causing pockets of chaos within the city,” she said.

Buck Gondola, owner of Cinniapolis Prairie racetrack, applauded the work of the committee. “They spent time outside of normal working hours to figure out what anyone with a functioning brain already knew. I’m thankful to them and to those that testified. But, what a waste of time and money, ” he said. Does he think the photo should be released now? “Absolutely not. Now, there are dozens of officials who have seen the photo and confirmed the winning horse, without a doubt, was Fleck Specs. It was a great, historic race that has now been overshadowed by a conspiracy-addicted, low educated public,” he said.

That officially puts a bow on the 2022 race. The 2023 race should be one to watch after the hoopla surrounding last summer’s event.