After an amazing effort in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, Mage is looking like a solid choice to take the next leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes on May 20.
With Javier Castellano in the saddle to finally get his first Kentucky Derby win in 15 tries, Mage was much the best in his triumph over Two Phil’s, getting a career-high 105 Beyer speed figure for the effort. He won’t have to worry about the Derby runner-up trying to turn the tables on him, however, as Two Phil’s connections decided to skip the Preakness.
Also out of the way is Forte, the juvenile champ who twice beat Mage in Florida prep races this year and wound up being scratched out of the Kentucky Derby as the morning-line favorite due to a bruised hoof. On Monday, Forte was placed on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s 14-day vet’s list – a new safety effort enacted as part of the federal Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority — which sidelines the colt through at least May 20.
On Friday, Mage’s connections confirmed that the Derby winner will make the trip to Baltimore and seek the second jewel of the Triple Crown on May 20. The Preakness decision was made easy, the Daily Racing Form reported, after Mage impressed trainer Gustavo Delgado and the ownership with a solid gallop Friday morning at Churchill Downs.
Mage ran a great race in the Kentucky Derby — looking nothing like the colt who languished well behind Forte in the Fountain of Youth two starts back in February. Instead, Mage showed off last Saturday a sustained, nearly six-furlong rally from the back of the pack – with Castellano giving him a great, traffic-battling trip.
Castellano wisely took Mage to the back of the pack in the first quarter-mile as Verifying, Kingsbarns and Reincarnate set a ridiculous speed duel for the first half-mile run in an unsustainable 45.73 seconds. But after they entered the backstretch, Mage got rolling – and did not stop.
In the blue silks, you can see Mage getting going just inside the ¾ pole down the backstretch, steadily advancing through the field into the far turn. That’s where Castellano wisely took Mage to the far outside to pass the backpedaling front half of the field.
But even the lost ground from traveling on the outside around the turn did not take anything out of Mage. By the eighth pole, he was in front to stay, holding off a determined Two Phil’s and the fast-closing Angel of Empire.
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The main question for Mage will be how he’ll perform in the quick two-week turnaround, and whether he’ll have recovered enough from that effort to take the Preakness.
According to the Daily Racing Form’s list of Preakness contenders, only two other Kentucky Derby entrants are expected to make the race in Baltimore. The one who finished closest to Mage at the wire was fourth-place finisher Disarm. If he makes the start, the Steve Asmussen-trained colt will have his fourth race in eight weeks – almost unheard of for the modern thoroughbred.
Confidence Game, who finished 10th in the 18-horse Kentucky Derby, may also run in the Preakness. The Kentucky Derby was his first race in nine weeks, so he should be fresh enough to make the Preakness start.
The rest of the probable Preakness field, as the DRF reports, include horses that just came up short on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
First Mission, the Lexington Stakes winner, looks like the best of the Triple Crown newcomers. Trained by Brad Cox, First Mission soundly defeated Disarm, among others, in the effort. None of Cox’s four horses in the Kentucky Derby – including third-place finisher Angel of Empire – are expected to make the Preakness, according to DRF.
National Treasure, the Bob Baffert trainee who finished fourth last out in the Santa Anita Derby, is also probable for the Preakness, as is Blazing Sevens, the third-place finisher in the Blue Grass Stakes.
Other contenders include three horses who clinched automatic Preakness berths through prep race wins: Perform, who won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park in April; Red Route One, winner of the Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park in late April; and Chase the Chaos, who won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields in February.
With the field not completely set, it’s hard to gauge Mage’s chances in the Preakness at this point. But none of the potential challengers will have a chance if Mage does in Baltimore on May 20 what he did in Louisville on May 6.
Post parade notes
- The fallout from the outbreak of equine fatalities that overshadowed the Kentucky Derby, which again raised questions about thoroughbred safety, continued long after the race was run. On Monday, The New York Times reported that Forte had tested positive for an anti-inflammatory substance after winning the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last September — but his trainer, Todd Pletcher, was never sanctioned. Forte would go on to race and win twice more last year and won the Eclipse Award as juvenile champion. After a Wednesday hearing before the New York Gaming Commission, Forte was disqualified from his Hopeful Stakes win, and Pletcher was suspended for 10 days; the trainer was also fined $1,000, Bloodhorse reported. Forte’s part-owner, Queens native Mike Repole, said he would fight the disqualification in court.
- Clearly, the equine deaths during Derby week and the revelations about Forte once again underscore the need for reform. The implementation of various anti-doping and pro-safety measures through the federal Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority aim to finally get performance enhancing drugs out of the sport and make competition fair and safe for all runners — but no one should expect change overnight. One encouraging development is the “Vet’s List” which the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission exercised to prevent Forte from running for at least 14 days. Much like MLB’s injured list and the NFL’s injured reserve, this program should be used to track the conditions of each horse and give the public clear information about their health and safety. It’s long overdue, and hopefully, this will help prevent further tragedy in a sport clouded by it.
