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By definition, a mage is a magician. And, he certainly lived up to his name on Saturday. The lightly raced three-year-old colt by Good Magic ranged up and swept by Two Phil’s in the stretch to take the 149th Kentucky Derby in 2:01.57. While Mage did not win in “Secretariat time” on the 50th anniversary of the the fastest Derby ever recorded, the little colt got the job done and received a 105 Beyer for his effort.
This was 45-year-old jockey Javier Castellano’s sixteenth start in the Kentucky Derby and his first victory. This was also trainer Gustavo Delgado’s first Derby win. Both Castellano and Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage is owned by everyone!!! His owners are OGMA investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and Commonwealth Racing. There are 391owners just through the Commonwealth group @ $50 each. So these are by no means your typical super-trainer, billionaire connections.
Mage is just the fourth Derby winner with only three prior starts. He won one of those, which gives him a 4-2 lifetime record and $2,107,200 in total career earnings. And, at 15-1 odds, he likely made some money for those who bet on the cute little #8. Serious magic!
My friend Susan Howard, wife of trainer Neil Howard, said Mage reminded her of Summer Squall, who was also a smaller, light-boned colt. After the victory she learned that Summer Squall was, indeed, in his lineage on the dam side.
Mage apparently came out of the race in good order and is likely to run in the Preakness on very short rest. If so, he will possibly face Forte, the horse that denied him a win in the Florida Derby. As we know, Forte was the favorite going in to the 149th Kentucky Derby and was scratched at the request of the state veterinarian Saturday morning.
Derby runner-up Two Phil’s is also a probable for the Preakness on May 20th. I would like to see them all have more time between races. However, mine is not a very popular opinion, especially with regards to Mage, as the Triple Crown is in play for him.
If Forte’s foot is properly healed in two weeks, Mage and Castellano are going to have a fight on their hands. They have met twice and Forte was victorious both times by a total of 7 3/4 lengths. Forte’s trainer, Todd Pletcher, typically skips the Preakness and runs his Derby-quality horses in the Belmont at his home track. But the circumstances are quite different with the Derby scratch and what appears to be only a minor hiccup for Forte.
Can Mage (aka the Wizard of Churchill Downs) duplicate his success in Baltimore in two weeks? I say consult your Magic 8 Ball.
UPDATE: In a press release after the writing of this article, the Kentucky State Veternarian indicated that per the new rules put in place July 1, Forte will not be off the vet scratch list in time to enter for the Preakness. Looks like he is Belmont bound.
