Mage: 5 Things About The Longshot Horse Who Just Won The 2023 Kentucky

Mage: 5 Things About The Longshot Horse Who Just Won The 2023 KentuckyShow more

View gallery Image Credit: John Sommers II/UPI/Shutterstock The 2023 Kentucky Derby took place on May 6, 2023.
Mage, ridden by Javier Castellano, won the race.
The field dropped down to 18 after five horses were scratched from the race. The 149th Kentucky Derby will go down in the history books, for better or for worse. The May 6 event was attended by celebrities — Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, Jack Harlow, Chris Pine, Dannielle Birkhead, and Bobby Flay – and regular folk, all gathered to see which horse will come out on top after “The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports.” After...

View gallery Image Credit: John Sommers II/UPI/Shutterstock The 2023 Kentucky Derby took place on May 6, 2023.
Mage, ridden by Javier Castellano, won the race.
The field dropped down to 18 after five horses were scratched from the race. The 149th Kentucky Derby will go down in the history books, for better or for worse. The May 6 event was attended by celebrities — Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, Jack Harlow, Chris Pine, Dannielle Birkhead, and Bobby Flay – and regular folk, all gathered to see which horse will come out on top after “The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports.” After a few days of dark clouds – metaphorically – the race held off the literal rainclouds as eighteen thoroughbred horses hit the track at Churchill Downs. In the end, it was Mage who defeated seventeen other horses to win the day. It was a close race at the end, with Mage pulling out and securing the win in a dramatic finish! MAGE (17/1) WINS the 149th Kentucky Derby! (via @NBCSports) #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/nQjUxWPCaN — NBC Sports EDGE Betting (@NBCSportsBet) May 6, 2023 It was a marvelous race that, for a moment, warded off the tragedy and drama that surrounded this year’s race. For more information about the winner and what they had to go through to get to the winner’s circle, whip up another mint julep and read on. Mage Won The 2023 Kentucky Derby
Mage will be considered a “rookie” in terms of horseracing. He had only run three races before the 2023 Derby: The Florida Derby (where he finished second), the Fountain of Youth Derby (finished fourth), and the Maiden derby (which he won.)
He was trained by Gustavo Delgado and is partially owned by South Florida’s Ramiro Restrepo. He’s one of five owners – five owners whose horse just won the Kentucky Derby! Mage wins the Kentucky Derby! pic.twitter.com/B0oGlHDTyD — Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 6, 2023 Their Jockey Is Javier Castellano
This win caps off an incredible career for Javier Castellano. The 45-year-old rider began racing horses in 1996 in his native Venezuela. He’s a second-generation jockey and racing runs in the family. His father, uncle, and brother have all been jockeys. Javier was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2017. His career includes wins at the Preakness Stakes in 2006 and 2017, the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2004, and the Kentucky Oaks in 2016. He was on Cloud Computing when he won Preakness in 2017 and has ridden horses like Shaman Ghost, Honor Code, and Bellamy Road. An MVP call for for Riders Up by @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/avehSvd2SQ — Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 6, 2023 The Odds Weren’t In His Favor. With so much drama heading into the race – including the odds-on favorite dropping out, more on that soon – the odds for the 2023 Kentucky Derby were in total chaos until the final closing on Saturday morning. Here’s what the winner and the rest of the field’s odds were, per CNN. (However, Mage’s odds after the win were listed as 15-1. meaning that even though he was a longshot, his odds improved.) Hit Show 26/1
Verifying 17/1
Two Phil’s 7/1
Confidence Game 16/1
Tapit Trice 9/2
Kingsbarns 10/1
Reincarnate 13/1
Mage 17/1*
Disarm 24/1
Jace’s Road 32/1
Sun Thunder 30/1
Angel of Empire 9/2
Raise Cain 30/1
Derma Sotogake 7/1
Rocket Can 27/1
Cyclone Mischief 32/1
Mandarin Hero 21/1
King Russell 32/1 They Won The Derby With The Most Scratches In Nearly 90 Years. If the above didn’t make it clear, the 2023 Kentucky Derby ran with 18 horses total, down from the usual field of 20. This reduced field comes after Forte, the 3-1 favorite to win, became the fifth horse to ‘scratch’ – aka to be withdrawn – from the race. Churchill Downs said Forte co-owner Mike Repole attributed the scratch to state veterinarians’ worries over a bruised right foot, per The Washington Post .
Practical Move withdrew...