Mage, this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner, has been retired from racing and will begin his stallion career at Airdrie Stud for the 2024 breeding season, his connections announced in a release Nov. 27. 

The decision marks a change of plans from earlier this month when Gulfstream Park publicity reported that Mage would be pointed toward a 2024 campaign with the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes as a possible early season target.

Mage (Eclipse Sportswire)

“Mage has been a great blessing in our family’s life,” said trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. “He was special for so many reasons and he gave all of us that were blessed to be associated with him the greatest days you could ever have in racing.

“He was so brilliantly talented and an incredible horse to work with as his mind and determination were as exceptional as his abilities. We were planning to have a championship 4-year-old campaign with him, but our routine end-of-the-season scan revealed that he had the beginnings of a small issue that would require us to miss his early season goals.”

Mage’s victory in Kentucky Derby 149 with Javier Castellano in the saddle was the highlight of a whirlwind 3-year-old campaign that saw him win his racing debut Jan. 28 and then capture the Derby in just his fourth career start less than 100 days later. In historical context, only Justify (2018) and Apollo (1882) won the Derby without the benefit of starting as a 2-year-old, and Mage matched Justify’s record feat by winning the race having competed only three times previously.  

“He has been so good to us and owes us nothing,” Delgado Sr. said. “It is time for him to begin his next career and we look forward to winning the big races with his sons and daughters in the years ahead. He will not be a good sire, he will be a great sire.”

Racing for the ownership group of OGMA Investments, CMNWLTH, Sterling Racing, and Ramiro Restrepo and trained by the father-son team of Gustavo Delgado and Gustavo Delgado Jr., Mage retires as North America’s leading 3-year old earner of 2023 with more than $2.5 million in earnings. The son of champion racehorse and successful young sire Good Magic and stakes winner Puca will stand his first season at an announced stud fee of $25,000.

“It is an incredible privilege for our team to be able to bring Mage into the Airdrie stallion barn,” said Airdrie’s Bret Jones. “To be able to stand a Kentucky Derby winner is so extremely special and we will always be grateful to the Delgado family and Mage’s ownership group for giving us this opportunity.”