By Canadian Press

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby

May 6, 2023 | 5:28 PM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two more horses died in the hours before 15-1 shot Mage won the Kentucky Derby by a length on Saturday, making it seven in all 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 Two Phil’s in the stretch while covering 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 under Javier Castellano. The Hall of Fame jockey snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby. He and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela.

Forte, the early favourite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the days leading to the race.

Two Phil’s was second and 4-1 favourite 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.

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Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52 at 9-1 odds. Angel of Empire paid $4.70 to show.

Two more horses died, making it seven in all, before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and early favourite Forte was scratched with an injury in another series of blows to a sport already reeling from doping suspensions and breakdowns.

“This is part of racing and it’s the cruel part,” Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV.

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AP Sports Writer Gary B. Graves and AP National Writer Claire Galofaro contributed to this report.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Beth Harris, The Associated Press