LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Mage, who stormed to victory in the 149th running of The Kentucky Derby as a 15-1 longshot in just his fourth career start, has been retired to stud, his owners announced this week.
Mage did not win another start after winning the Derby. He’ll stand at Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky., for a fee of $25,000.
Trained by the father-son team of Gustavo Delgado Sr. and Gustavo Delgando Jr., Mage is owned by consortium of Ramiro Restrepo, OGMA Investments, CMNWLTH and Sterling Racing.
He broke his maiden in his first career race, on Jan. 28 of this year at Gulfstream Park, and went on to run fourth in the Fountain of Youth and second in the Florida Derby before shipping to Churchill Downs.
His win in the Kentucky Derby made him just the third colt to accomplish the feat without racing as a 2-year-old, joining Triple Crown winner Justify (2018) and Apollo (1882) as Derby winners who were unraced at 2.
He matched Justify for fewest career races before winning the Derby.
After winning the roses, Mage went on to run third in the Preakness Stakes, before a runner-up finish in the Haskell and a seventh-place finish in the Travers, his final career race, on August 26.
He is the second straight Kentucky Derby winner, and third in the past five years, to go winless after winning the Derby. Rich Strike, the 2022 winner, was retired for a time earlier this year but his connections announced he would return to light training with the Jan. 27 in mind.
Country House, who won the Derby after a disqualification in 2019, never raced again.
Mage originally had been pointed toward a 4-year-old season, beginning with the Pegasus World Cup, but those plans apparently changed and on Monday of this week his team issued a press release saying his racing career had come to an end.
“Mage has been a great blessing in our family’s life,” trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. said. “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. 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.”
Mage is the son of top sire Good Magic, who ran second to Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, out of the mare Puca.
“It is an incredible privilege for our team to be able to bring Mage into the Airdrie stallion barn,” Airdrie vice president Bret Jones said. “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.”
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
