Mage holds on for a victory at Derby 149
After a dark and despair morning, in which two horses passed away, the star Mage put a little sunshine to lighten the mood. The favorite horse to win the race was scratched because of an injury it sustained, so the door was wide open.
Mage started out the gate very slow but hit his strides late. Neck and neck Mage went with two other horses down the stretch but did just enough to cross the finish line and get the victory. Javier Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado had this to say about the victory. "Never give up, always try hard, do the right thing," Castellano said of winning his first Kentucky Derby.
"When I came to the United States, my first dream is, ‘Go to Kentucky Derby. Go to the Derby,’" he said. "When I ran two times, you remember, those horses very bad. But this time, I sure that the horse very, very good."