Mage is known for making a spectacular splash, streaking across the finish line with unmatched zeal in his first outing. His stunning debut made an unforgettable entrance with that wire-to-wire victory by 3 ¾ length. It was an exhibition of pure equine prowess, as he outshone the competition in the seven-furlong maiden race for 3-year-olds at the illustrious Pegasus World Cup on January 28, 2023, at Gulfstream Park.
Moreover, what makes Mage’s narrative truly mesmerizing is his belated start; he was absent from the track as a 2-year-old but managed to triumph in the Kentucky Derby on his fourth appearance. His trajectory was anything but conventional, bypassing the typical sequence of races that most young thoroughbreds undergo. Not merely a fleeting wonder, Mage has permanently inscribed his name in the chronicles of racing, registering two awe-inspiring 100+ Beyer speed figures (BSF) in just three races, symbolic of his roaring gallops and exhilarating performances, hinting at a promising Derby future.
Yet, the story of Mage, woven with threads of promise and grandeur, was also tinged with the delicate twines of fate. On the cusp of a championship season as a 4-year-old, a twist in the tale emerged. A routine scan by his vigilant caretakers unveiled a looming issue, a slight setback necessitating a pause from his glorious days on the track. The announcement on November 27, 2023, though tinged with the sadness of what might have been, heralded the beginning of Mage’s new chapter. Transitioning from the exhilarating echo of racetrack cheers, he now embraces the tranquil life at Airdrie Stud, poised to father the forthcoming racing prodigies. With a stud fee of $25,000, his legacy is set to cascade through the lineage of future champions, each inheriting a fragment of his indomitable essence.
Horse Profile
- Foaled: April 18, 2020
- Bred: Kentucky, USA
- Sex: Colt
- Debuted: 2023
- Retirement: 2024
- Death: N/A
- Color and Markings: Chestnut
- Sire: Good Magic
- Dam: Puca
- Owner: OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing & Commonwealth Thoroughbreds
- Breeder: Grandview Equine
- Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
- Primary/Regular Jockeys: Javier Castellano; Flavien Prat (last rider)
Characteristics
- His jockey, Castellano, reminisced about Mage as “a little horse with a big heart,” epitomizing the true spirit of a champion—tenacious, fierce, and steadfast.
- The trainer of Mage, Gustavo Delgado Sr., lauded him not merely for his talent but for being “incredible,” a horse with a mind as mighty as his pace, a spirit as unbreakable as his gallop.
- His running style is closer.
Major Won Races
- Kentucky Derby (2023)
Achievements
- He won the Kentucky Derby (2023) with a 103 Beyer Speed.
- 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 who never raced as 2-year-olds.
- He earned a 105 Beyer Speed figure and a 124 speed figure from Top TimeformUS.
Rankings
- Mage is North America’s leading 3-year-old earner for 2023, with more than $2.5 million in earnings.
- He ranked 2nd overall by Earnings in 2023.
Retirement Plan
- It was publicized on November 27, 2023, that Mage has officially retired from racing and will begin his stallion career at Airdrie Stud for the 2024 breeding season.
- His much-anticipated 4-year-old championship tour was shortened after their routine end-of-the-season scan revealed that he had the beginnings of a minor issue that would require him to miss his early season goals.
- Hailing from a dynasty of victors, the offspring of the eminent Good Magic and the distinguished Puca, Mage is poised to commence his tenure as a sire, his heritage valued at a stud fee of $25,000.
Mage Connections
- Jockey: Javier Castellano
- He snapped a career 0-for-15 Derby skid with the win aboard Mage.
- He ranked 7th in earnings and 38th in wins in 2023.
- Trainer and co-owner: Gustavo Delgado Sr. and Ramiro Restrepo
- Trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. is a legendary horseman in his native Venezuela, where he won that country’s version of the Triple Crown four times but had never finished better than 12th in two previous tries in the Derby.
- 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 purchasing Mage at auction for OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and Commonwealth.
- Co-owner Restrepo is a gregarious, fifth-generation horseman with Colombian roots. He also has a natural skill for blowing past his budget. Delgado Sr. told him not to exceed the budget of $100,000, but Restrepo and Delgado Jr. decided to budget up to $200,000 if needed. They desperately wanted Mage and stayed on the bidding until they finally got him for $290,000.
- Gustavo ranked 75th in earnings in 2023.
- Co-owners: Commonwealth Users
- 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 bought stakes in Mage, 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.
Racing Career
| Record | Earnings | Fastest Beyer Speed | Highest E Speed Figure |
|---|---|---|---|
7: 2–2–1 | $2,507,450 | 105 | 104 |
| WON RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Finish | Winning Time | Winning Margin | Jockey |
2023 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
January 28, 2023 | 7 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Gulfstream Park | 1 | 1:22.54 | 3 ¾ lengths | Edgar Perez | |
May 6, 2023 | 1 ¼ lengths | Kentucky Derby | I | Churchill Downs | 1 | 2:01.57 | 1 length | Javier Castellano |
| LOST RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Placement | Time | Lossing Margin | Jockey |
2023 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
March 4, 2023 | 1 1/16 miles | Fountain of Youth Stakes | II | Gulfstream Park | 4 | 1:43.12 | (6 ¾ lengths ) | Javier Castellano |
April 1, 2023 | 1 ⅛ miles | Florida Derby | I | Gulfstream Park | 2 | 1:49.37 | (1 length) | Luis Saez |
May 20, 2023 | 1 3∕16 miles | Preakness Stakes | I | Pimlico | 3 | 1:55.12 | (2 ¼ lengths) | Javier Castellano |
July 22, 2023 | 1 ⅛ miles | Haskell Stakes | I | Monmouth Park | 2 | 1:49.52 | (1 ¾ lengths) | Javier Castellano |
August 26, 2023 | 1 ¼ miles | Travers Stakes | I | Saratoga | 7 | 2:02.23 | (15 lengths) | Flavien Prat |
Pedigree
SIRE:
- Mage’s pedigree shows that his grandsires are Kentucky Derby champions as well. Curlin won the Preakness in 2007. With this, his very own sire, Good Magic (Curlin’s colt), also finished second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
- Curlin was at one time the highest-earning Thoroughbred in North America. According to the National Museum of Horse Racing, he finished his career with a record $10.5 million in earnings.
DAM:
- Big Brown (sire of Puca) won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes 2008.
- Like Mage, who only ran three times before winning the Kentucky Derby, Big Brown also went 3-for-3 to start his career, highlighted by a blowout victory in the Florida Derby, and he kept his win streak intact with a decisive triumph in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.
- Big Brown has sired both dirt horses and turf runners alike, and that versatility is evident in Puca. Victorious twice apiece on dirt and turf, Puca was at her best running long and recorded her best effort in the 1 1/8 mile Gazelle (G2) on dirt at Aqueduct, finishing second. She later ran 12th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).