2023 Kentucky Derby results, winner: Mage holds off Angel of Empire, Two Phil's to win Run for the Roses

Mage, at 15-1, came from deep in the pack at the top of the stretch for the win

Mage surged late to win the 2023 Kentucky Derby, the prestigious first leg of the Triple Crown, in an official time of 2:01.57. It's the second career win in four starts for Mage (15/1), whose trainer is Gustavo Delgado and jockey is Javier Castellano. 

The race started with Verifying and Kingsbarns battling for the lead, but around the halfway point Mage came from deep in the pack to pass both of them. Mage then held off challenges from Angel of Empire and Two Phil's down the stretch en route to victory, finishing a length ahead of Two Phil's with Angel of Empire another half length behind. 

Castellano explained after the race that his mentality was to "never give up, always try hard, do the right thing," and he saw his horse follow those same virtues. 

"He's got a lot of heart," Castellano said of Mage after the race. "He's a little horse but [has] a big heart."

Mage last appeared in the Florida Derby, pushing Forte -- a Kentucky Derby favorite that was scratched hours before the race -- before losing by only a length. Forte wasn't around to to play spoiler at Churchill Downs, and Mage certainly took advantage. 

The win for Mage is also a win for Venezuela, as it's the home country of both Delgado and Castellano. Delgado, who celebrated the win beside someone waving a Venezuelan flag, reflected on what the Kentucky Derby meant to him when he first arrived to the U.S. 

"When I [came] to the United States, my first dream [was] go to the Kentucky Derby," an emotional Delgado said after the race.

Delgado can now check off his dream and a win to boot.  

Cincinnati businessman Chase Chamberlin leads a group of 382 people who own Mage, and after the race he dedicated the horse's win to a fellow shareholder who died a mere two weeks before at age 38. 

"The dream is alive. This is what horse racing's all about," Chamberlin said. "It's the only animal in the world that could take a million people for a ride all along or in our case, 382."

Skinner, Practical Move, Lord Miles and Continuar were scratched along with Forte, but their absences were far from the biggest story regarding safety at Churchill Downs in the week and hours leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Seven horses died at the Louisville track since April 27, with five coming in the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby while another two were euthanized after suffering injuries hours before post time. 

The Preakness Stakes on May 20 is the next leg of the Triple Crown, but it's unclear whether Mage will take part. Mage has a chance to become the first horse since Justify in 2018 to follow a Kentucky Derby win with a victory at Pimlico Race Course. 

2023 Kentucky Derby results, payouts

8 - Mage WIN: $32.42 PLACE: $14.58 SHOW: $9.08
3 - Two Phil's PLACE: $10.44 SHOW: $6.52
14 - Angel of Empire SHOW: $4.70

$2.00 Exacta 8-3 $330.44
$1.00 Trifecta 8-3-14 $982.36
$1.00 Superfecta 8-3-14-11 $15,643.60  

[May 6, 2023 at 6:15 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Raise Cain enters tonight's race with 50/1 odds, according to SportsLine, but as Rich Strike proved last year -- by winning as an 80-1 longshot -- no horse can be ruled out. Over seven career starts, Raise Cain has two wins, a second and a third. 

[May 6, 2023 at 6:00 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Derma Sotogake dominated its last race, winning the UAE Derby by 5 1/2 lengths. The Japan-bred horse will hope for a similar outcome in tonight's Kentucky Derby, and according to SportsLine it enters the race with 10/1 odds. 

[May 6, 2023 at 5:40 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott hopes to return to Kentucky Derby glory as the trainer of Rocket Can, which enters tonight's race at 30/1, according to SportsLine.  Mott's lone Kentucky Derby win came in 2019, when Country House was awarded the victory after Maximum Security was disqualified after crossing the finish line first. 

[May 6, 2023 at 5:33 pm ET · Gene Menez]

With less than two hours remaining until the starting gate opens for the 149th Kentucky Derby, two horses are still vying for favoritism. Both Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire and Blue Grass Stakes winner Tapit Trice are co-favorites for the race, at 9/2. The favorite could be determined by Houston furniture mogul Jim (Mattress Mack) McIngvale who is expected to bet millions of dollars on the race just before the horses leave the starting gate, dropping the price on one of those horses. On the other end of the Derby odds board, no horse has odds more than 30-1, which is likely a reaction to Rich Strike winning last year's race at 80-1. Post time is 6:57 p.m. ET.  

Which huge longshot hits the board at the Kentucky Derby? Visit SportsLine to see Gene Menez's picks, all from the expert who has nailed six of his last seven races. 

[May 6, 2023 at 5:20 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Another late entry into the Kentucky Derby is Mandarin Hero, which is aiming to become the first Japan-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. Mandarin Hero is coming off a second-place finish at the Santa Anita Derby and is 20/1 for tonight's race, according to SportsLine. 

[May 6, 2023 at 5:10 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

A new Kentucky Derby winner will be crowned in around two hours, so let's take a look back at the 148 horses that have captured victory in the prestigious race before. Rich Strike is the most recent champion, and at 80-1 the colt had the second longest odds of any Kentucky Derby winner. For the full list of Kentucky Derby winners, click here. 

[May 6, 2023 at 5:06 pm ET · Gene Menez]

With Forte, the morning-line favorite, out of the Kentucky Derby with a bruised hoof, the race to leave the starting gate as the favorite may come down to a photo finish. In early wagering for the race (post time 6:57 p.m. ET), both Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire and Blue Grass Stakes winner Tapit Trice have been bet down to 9/2 odds. However, based on imputed Derby win odds from the will-pays of the Oaks-Derby double, Angel of Empire is projected to go off lower than Tapit Trice. Japanese invader Derma Sotogake and Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Two Phil's follow closely behind, at 8-1. No horse is higher than 30-1.  

Which huge longshot hits the board at the Kentucky Derby? Visit SportsLine to see Gene Menez's picks, all from the expert who has nailed six of his last seven races.