Mage won the 149th Kentucky Derby, after a week that saw a number of horses withdraw from contention.
As the pack approached the backstretch, Kingsbarns, Reincarnate, and Two Phils all made excellent starts. As the pitch approached the stretch, Two Phil’s made a move with Verifying on the inside and Kingsbarns on the outside. Mage eventually overtook Two Phil’s and Angel of Empire by breaking hard on the outside to the line.
At kickoff, Mage was assigned 17-1 odds. Javier Castellano, a jockey, won his first Kentucky Derby while competing in his 16th.
Before the Derby, there were several changes made to the pitch. Practical Move, Lord Miles, and Continuar were the first three horses scratched from the field as the week got underway. Due to a fever, Practical Move had to be scratched, and Continuar’s trainer felt the horse wasn’t in the best shape for a competition like the Kentucky Derby.
Following the deaths of two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who is also Lord Miles’ trainer, earlier in the week, Lord Miles was scratched from the race. The trainer has been placed on indefinite leave by Churchill Downs due to the “unexplained sudden deaths.”
Then, on Saturday, came the shocking news that Forte, the early favourite, had been scratched because of an injury sustained on Thursday while practising. On Saturday morning, Forte went for a workout, but soon after, word arrived that the favourite was out. Only 18 horses remained in the field when Skinner suffered a scratch as well.
The Dallas Cowboys became America’s Team in the 1990s as a result of Jerry Jones taking over as owner and Jimmy Johnson joining the coaching staff. Everyone might take credit for Dallas’ success in assembling a squad and ultimately winning championships, but…welcome to Texas, where every ego is bigger. Jones and Johnson have never been able to put an end to their verbal battles for more than a few drinks at the bar.
Kentucky Derby purse and awards for 2023
The Kentucky Derby is by far the Triple Crown’s richest race. The total purse for the Kentucky Derby is double that of the Preakness Stakes and triple that of the Belmont Stakes. The top five finishers will each receive a portion of the $3 million prize pool for the Derby. In addition, the jockey who wins will get a 10 percent part of the winnings, while the jockeys who come in second and third get a 5 percent cut.
The top-five finishers will split the prize money as follows:
Finishing first: $1.86 million
Finished in second place: $600,000
Finish in third place: $300,000
Finishing in fourth place: $150,000
Finishing in fourth place: $90,000
What were the race’s odds?
The odds-on favourite heading into the week was Forte, who was listed at 3-1, with Tapit Trice coming in at 5-1, Angel of Empire at 8-1, and Derma Sotogake at 10-1. However, as a result of Forte being scratched, the odds changed throughout Saturday. For the most of the day, Tapit Trice and Angel of Empire were both rated as co-favorites.
But things changed just before the game began, all because of a well-known figure in the betting industry. During NBC’s telecast, a significant stake on Angel of Empire from none other than Mattress Mack propelled the Brad H. Cox-trained horse into the front-runner position:
It was just reported James McIngvale, "Mattress Mack," is putting $1.2 million on Angel of Empire. Odds on that horse are now 4-1 #Derby149🌹🐎 pic.twitter.com/qDEYFMbElw
— Spectrum News 1 Kentucky (@SpectrumNews1KY) May 6, 2023
Here were the odds just before kickoff and following Mattress Mack’s wager:
Kentucky Derby Betting Hub 🐎
• Best Bets: https://t.co/EeNNbN27gF
• Betting Guide: https://t.co/jX1YTAUmQg
• Updated Odds: https://t.co/IqBx2Vpt8k
• Most Profitable Posts: https://t.co/mPdFJa5zgQ pic.twitter.com/nEeiTKi1uf
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) May 6, 2023
In recent years, a few horses have nearly succeeded. I’ll Have Another took the first two legs in 2012 but was forced to withdraw from the Belmont Stakes due to a leg injury. California Chrome won the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby in 2014, but finished fourth at the Belmont.