Javier Castellano celebrates after driving Mage to win the 149th working of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky.

Charlie Riedel/AP

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Javier Castellano celebrates after driving Mage to win the 149th working of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky.

Charlie Riedel/AP

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions on the way forward for horse racing, Mage earned a stunning Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two extra fatalities forward of the 149th version of the world’s most well-known race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had just one win in his profession, giving little indication that he may triumph in opposition to 17 rivals in a race that’s not variety to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and successful by a size. Mage, who did not race as a 2-year-old, ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (2015) as Derby winners with simply three earlier begins.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant coach and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. stated.

The colt was within the expert arms of Javier Castellano, a Hall of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand recently. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid within the Derby.

“I never give up,” Castellano stated. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.”

Castellano and coach Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties. Canonero II received the Derby and Preakness in 1971.

Going into the backstretch, Mage was forward of simply three horses. Castellano and Mage started selecting off the competitors and on the far flip launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano stated. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead on the high of the stretch. Mage swung to the skin and took intention on the chief. Mage handed him on the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. stated. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.'”

Forte, the early favourite, was scratched within the morning with a bruised foot, certainly one of 5 horses that dropped out within the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the most important win of his transient profession.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” stated Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s.

Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favourite, was one other half-length again in third in entrance of a crowd of 150,335 on a heat and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to point out.

Earlier within the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, had been euthanized after being injured of their races, changing into the sixth and seventh horses to have died on the monitor in latest days.

“It’s a very difficult subject to touch upon,” stated Ramiro Restrepo, a part of Mage’s possession and a blood inventory agent. “I’m sure there’s going to be some investigations done as to the reason behind that, and hopefully that provides a few more answers.”

The string of horse deaths was on the thoughts of some Derby-goers.

“It’s concerning, and I hope they’re quickly trying the best they can to correct whatever’s going on,” stated Michael Freeze, who alongside along with his pal dressed up as jockeys. “They need to do whatever is best for the horses, and the sport in general.”

Chloe’s Dream injured his proper entrance knee, coach Jeff Hiles instructed The Associated Press.

“He just took a bad step out there,” Hiles stated. “They could do the same thing running in the field as they could on the track. So it’s very unfortunate. That’s what we deal with.”

Freezing Point suffered a left ankle harm within the Pat Day Mile, coach Joe Lejzerowicz instructed the AP.

“He just got bumped in the backstretch,” Lejzerowicz stated. “He never took a bad step or bobble. He had a big heart.”

New antidoping and medicine guidelines enforced by a central governing physique of the game are scheduled to take impact May 22.

“All I can say is we do our best to take care of our horses. We treat them better than we treat our children. And we have full confidence in the soundness of our horse,” Restrepo stated. “We’ve been training here for two weeks, and he actually has been flourishing at this racetrack.”

The deaths included Derby contender Wild On Ice. Two of the horses had been educated by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was indefinitely suspended by the monitor, though investigators have but to find out a trigger for the deaths of his horses.

A relieved Tim Yakteen, who educated Reincarnate to a Thirteenth-place end, stated, “The most important thing is the horse came out of it OK.”

Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown winner, is nearing the tip of a two-year ban issued by Churchill Downs Inc. One of his horses, Medina Spirit, crossed the end line first within the 2021 Derby and failed a post-race drug check. The horse was disqualified and Baffert was punished.

In 2019, over 30 horse deaths occurred at California’s Santa Anita racetrack, rattling the business and resulting in security reforms. Kentucky Derby-winning coach Rick Dutrow had his license revoked in 2011 for 10 years by New York officers. Regulators discovered syringes loaded with unauthorized remedy in a desk in his barn. Dutrow served his punishment and re-opened his steady final month.

Four horses had been scratched — Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continuar and Skinner — in latest days. Practical Move and Skinner had fevers, whereas Continuar wasn’t in peak situation, in line with his Japanese coach. Lord Miles was Joseph’s Derby horse.

Disarm was fourth, adopted by Hit Show, Japan-based Derma Sotogake, Tapit Trice and Raise Cain, Rocket Can, Confidence Game, Sun Thunder, Japan’s Mandarin Hero, Reincarnate, Kingsbarns, King Russell, Verifying, Jace’s Road and Cyclone Mischief.