The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby took place on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs. In a thrilling race, Mage, which closed at 15-1 odds to win, was able to use a late charge to overtake Two Phil’s and win the race. You can watch the full race right here.
#8 Mage takes the 149th @KentuckyDerby!
#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/hUlY5wYX0Y
— TwinSpires Racing
(@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023
Mage wins the Kentucky Derby! pic.twitter.com/B0oGlHDTyD
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 6, 2023
Two Phil’s was able to hold on for second, while Angel of Empire was able to take third. It was a stunning result for Mage, which entered the day with only three starts under its belt and one win, and now gets to add a win in the Kentucky Derby to its list of accomplishments. Mage was rode by Javier Castellano, a 45-year-old native of Venezuela who had never won the Kentucky Derby despite this being the 16th race in which he participated. After the race, NBC caught up with Castellano to get his reaction to finally getting over the hump.
“I never give up.”
Out of luck 16 times before, @jjcjockey is finally a Kentucky Derby winner following Mage’s success
Not a bad result for Venezuela – Javier & winning trainer Gustavo Delgado are both from the country!#KyDerby pic.twitter.com/jfGDjtsD69
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 6, 2023
Next up for Mage in its efforts to win the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes, which will take place on Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The horse will look to become the first since 2018 to win all three races, when Justify became the 13th horse in history to earn the honor.