Mage took center stage – and first place – at the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
The horse entered the race with 15-to-1 odds and came away with an upset victory at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Now, the 3-year-old colt has the chance to win the Triple Crown if he crosses the finish line first at the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
Coming off the heels of the Derby victory, here are five things to know about Mage.
Mage is the grandson of Big Brown and Curlin
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Mage joined the company of his grandfathers with the 2023 victory at Churchill Downs. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2008, while Curlin won the Preakness in 2007.
Mage’s sire, Good Magic, finished second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby and is Curlin’s colt. Big Brown is the sire of Puca, Mage’s dam.
Mage only had three starts before the 2023 Kentucky Derby
Mage’s Derby victory came in just his fourth ever start.
The horse won his competitive debut on Jan. 28 and made each of his first three starts at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. He placed second to Forte, the initial Kentucky Derby favorite before being scratched Saturday morning, in the Florida Derby on April 1.
Mage joined Big Brown, Regret (2015) and Justify (2018) as the only horses to win the Derby after making just three previous starts. Mage, Justify and Apollo (1882) are the only Derby winners that never raced as 2-year-olds.
Gustavo Delgado Sr. is Mage’s trainer
Mage’s team is full of Venezuelan roots.
Gustavo Delgado Sr., Mage's trainer, is from Maracaibo and is now based in South Florida. His son, Gustavo Delgado Jr., is an assistant trainer for Mage and took part in the purchase of Mage at auction for OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and Commonwealth.
Javier Castellano was Mage’s jockey at the Kentucky Derby
It was a sweet 16 for Javier Castellano at the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
The Hall of Fame jockey, who is also from Maracaibo, earned his first Derby win in his 16th career attempt when he rode Mage. He had been one of four jockeys with 15 or more Derby mounts who did not have a victory at the Run for the Roses.
Commonwealth users make up 25% of Mage’s ownership
Along with the Delgados and other primary owners, over 300 Commonwealth shareholders profited from Mage’s Derby victory.
Commonwealth is a company that allows users to purchase shares of an athlete. Those who purchased stakes in Mage, which were valued at $50, receive portions of the horse’s purses, sales and future breeding.
With Mage earning the $1.86 million top prize at the Derby, each Commonwealth owner will get $94.52 per share before taxes, per The Action Network’s Darren Rovell.
