LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world's most famous race.
Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.
Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil's to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn't 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 just three previous starts.
"He proved today that it didn't matter," assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.
The colt was in the skilled hands of Javier Castellano, a Hall of Fame jockey who hasn't been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby.
"I never give up," Castellano said. "I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it."
Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties. Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971.
Going into the backstretch, Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.
"Turning for home, he had a lot of heart," Castellano said. "He's a little horse with a big heart."
Two Phil's stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.
"Everything went according to plan," Delgado Jr. said. "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 favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.
Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.
Two Phil's returned $10.44 and $6.52.
"Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out," said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil's.
Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.
New antidoping and medication rules enforced by a central governing body of the sport are scheduled to take effect May 22.
"There's something going on," said Pat Murtha, who was attending his first Derby. "They need to find out, and set some rules and regulations to protect these animals."
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown winner, is nearing the end of a two-year ban issued by Churchill Downs Inc. One of his horses, Medina Spirit, crossed the finish line first in the 2021 Derby and failed a post-race drug test. The horse was disqualified and Baffert was punished.
In 2019, over 30 horse deaths occurred at California's Santa Anita racetrack, rattling the industry and leading to safety reforms. Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow had his license revoked in 2011 for 10 years by New York officials. Regulators found syringes loaded with unauthorized medication in a desk in his barn. Dutrow served his punishment and re-opened his stable last month.
Four horses were scratched -- Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continuar and Skinner -- in recent days. Practical Move and Skinner had fevers, while Continuar wasn't in peak condition, according to his Japanese trainer. Lord Miles was Joseph's Derby horse.
Disarm was fourth, followed 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.
People walk on the grounds of Churchill Downs before the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
People arrive in the infield before the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A picnic chair in the infield is decorated for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People watch races in the infield as they wait for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
FILE - Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, crosses the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. Rich Strike's stunning upset victory in last year's Kentucky Derby as a nearly 81-1 long shot provided the race's second biggest odds winner in four years. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Javier Castellano celebrates in the winner's circle after riding Mage to win the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Horses run after leaving the starting gate during the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Javier Castellano celebrates in the winner's circle after riding Mage to win the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Gallery: 149th running of the Kentucky Derby
