LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two more horses died in the hours before 15-1 shot Mage won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, capping a rocky stretch in which seven in all died and casting a shadow over the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.
Mage had only one victory in three previous races before holding off 9-1 shot Two Phil’s in the stretch. The colt, who didn’t race as a 2-year-old, ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 under Javier Castellano.
The 45-year-old Hall of Fame jockey, who hasn’t been as in-demand lately, snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby. He and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela.
“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.”
Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties. Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971.
“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”
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. That left 18 3-year-olds vying to wear the garland of red roses.
Two Phil’s was second and 4-1 favorite Angel of Empire was third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs.
Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08.
Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52 at 9-1 odds. Angel of Empire paid $4.70 to show.
Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were injured in their races and later euthanized, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.
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