Chestnut colt Mage overcame a slow start, charged to the front down the stretch and then held on to claim a surprise victory at the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Trained by Gustavo Delgado and jockeyed by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, Mage raced on 15-1 odds and beat Two Phil’s by a length to win with a time of 2:01.57. The 3-year-old thoroughbred emerged from an 18-horse field after Florida Derby winner Forte, a favorite for Saturday’s Run for the Roses, was scratched earlier in the day.
Angel of Empire started with the best odds (4-1) but finished third, a length-and-a-half back.
Here is the finishing order, as shown on the NBC telecast:
Kentucky Derby finishing time, race chart and purse
- Mage, 2:01.57, $1.86 million.
- Two Phil’s, (one length behind), $600,000
- Angel of Empire, (1½), $300,000
- Disarm, (4½), $150,000
- Hit Show, (6¼), $90,000
- Derma Sotogake, (8)
- Tapit Trice, (9¼)
- Raise Cain, (10)
- Rocket Can, (11)
- Confidence Game, (14½)
- Sun Thunder, (16¾)
- Mandarin Hero, (20¼)
- Reincarnate, (24½)
- Kingsbarns, (25¼)
- King Russell, (25½)
- Verifying, (54¾)
- Jace’s Road, (55¼)
- Cyclone Mischief, (55½)
