Mage roared from off the pace on Saturday to win the 149th Kentucky Derby, launching US racing’s Triple Crown campaign as two more horse deaths cast a pall on proceedings at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Gustavo Delgado and jockey Javier Castellano — both from Venezuela — each claimed a first Kentucky Derby win, Mage surging around the final turn and out-dueling Two Phil’s down the stretch.
Two Phil’s, trained by Larry Rivelli and ridden by Jareth Loveberry, finished second, while Angel of Empire, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, was third.
Photo: AFP
Mage, a 16-1 shot who had impressed in running second to Forte in the Florida Derby five weeks ago, was among the beneficiaries when the race was thrown wide open on Saturday morning as favorite Forte became the fifth horse scratched from the 2km event due to a bruised foot.
Now he is poised to challenge for the Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 20 to be followed by the Belmont Stakes in New York next month.
“Give me a couple of days at least,” Delgado laughingly said when asked if Mage would be pointed toward the coveted treble.
Mage became the fourth horse to win the Derby off only three prior career starts, but Castellano, denied in 15 prior Derby attempts, said he never doubted that the lightly raced colt could win.
“He did it really well today,” Castellano said. “He got a lot of dirt in his face, came from behind horses. He’s a little horse but with a big heart.”
The scintillating run capped a disturbing week at the iconic racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, where seven horses have died in the space of 10 days.
That included two horses on Saturday’s race program — Chloe’s Dream and Freezing Point — that were euthanized after being taken from the course by horse ambulance when they broke down during races.
Last week, Derby-bound Wild on Ice and Take Charge Briana were euthanized because of leg injuries.
Chasing Artie and Parents Pride, both trained by Saffie Joseph, collapsed and died with the cause of death still unknown.
The Board of Stewards on Thursday announced that all horses trained by Joseph had been scratched from all races until further notice. That included Derby runner Lord Miles.
Those four deaths prompted a statement of concern from Churchill Downs officials on Wednesday, and the Daily Racing Form then reported that another horse, Code of Kings, flipped over while being unsaddled in the paddock and broke his neck.
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