Kentucky Derby 2023: Mage holds off Angel of Empire, win 149th Run for the Roses Marred by the 7 Deaths at Churchill Downs.
After seven fatalities sparked concerns about the future of horse racing, Mage won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, completing a tense day that saw two more fatalities before to the 149th running of the most prestigious race in the world.
Mage, a 15-1 outsider, has only one career victory and little reason to believe he could beat 17 opponents in a race that is not friendly to the inexperienced.
Nevertheless, he ran with guts down the stretch, passing Two Phil's to his inside, and winning by a length. Mage raced 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 despite not competing when he was 2 years old.
With only three prior starts, Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008), and Regret (2015) as Derby champions.
Saturday was the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, but this year's event was marred by the deaths of seven horses in the lead-up to the race.
Hours before the Derby, favorite Forte was scratched, becoming the fifth horse scratched from the race. That opened the door for the other contenders with the field down to 18 horses.
Castellano is from Venezuela, as is his trainer Gustavo Delgado. Mage is the second Derby champion with Venezuelan ties after Canonero II. In 1971, Canonero II won the Preakness and Derby.
Only three horses were in front of Mage when they entered the backstretch. Castellano and Mage started eliminating the opposition before launching their run on the far turn.
- Mage made payments of $32, 42, 58, and $9. The colt's largest win of his brief career netted him $1,860,000.
- $10.44 and $6.52 were refunded from two Phils.
- Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, sits in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.
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apnews.com, usatoday
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