Mage

Mage made a splash in his career debut, which came in a wire-to-wire 3 3/4-length win in a seven-furlong maiden race for 3-year-olds on the Pegasus World Cup undercard on Jan. 28, 2023, at Gulfstream Park. The victory in 1:22.2 atop an eight-horse field was enough to earn the horse a shot versus stakes competition in just his second career start. That race was the Grade 2 $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 4. Sent off as the 5-1 co-second choice on the tote board in a field of nine in the Fountain of Youth, Mage stalked and then pressed the pace and ran on admirably for fourth in the 1 1/16-mile stakes race won by Forte.

Mage made his third career start in the Grade 1 $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on April 1, where he finished second when beaten just one length by champion Forte in a solid closing effort from the back of the pack after being sent off as the second favorite in a field of 12. The Florida Derby was a maximum points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and Mage earned 50 points and a likely spot in the starting gate in the run for the roses in his next start.

Mage became the 149th winner of the Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2023, when be topped a field of 18 horses to win the run for the roses. Mage was sent off as the 15-1 eighth choice on the tote board in a field of 18 starters and was ridden by Javier Castellano. In the Kentucky Derby, Mage sat far back off a fast pace toward the rear of the field for the first half of the race and then rallied into contention outside of horses on the turn and into the stretch. He confronted leading Two Phil's in the final furlong and then drew clear of that rival by a length to win in a time of 2:01.57 for the 1 1/4 miles on a fast track. Mage did not have to turn the tables on Forte in order to win the Kentucky Derby. Forte was scratched before the race and did not run.

Mage returned two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes to go for the second jewel in racing's Triple Crown. Unlike in the Kentucky Derby, however, Mage chased behind a slow pace in the Preakness that aided the front runners and could not muster his ideal late rally. Mage settled for a non-threatening third in the Preakness, beaten 2 1/4 lengths. 

Following the Preakness, Mage took some time off and returned with a second-place finish in the $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. After the Haskell, Mage was pointed to the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26 at Saratoga, where he finished last in a seven-horse field. Following that puzzling effort, the colt was pointed to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park but was forced to miss that race after showing symptoms of a fever a few days prior. His connections said that Mage would, however, return to race at age 4.

Mage is trained by Gustavo Delgado. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Good Magic out of the mare Puca by Big Brown.