LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mage, who only made his first start on Jan. 28, won the Kentucky Derby in his fourth. Surging powerfully from behind a strong pace, Mage ran down Two Phil’s, who got a sweet rail run under Jareth Loveberry but could not quite stay. Angel of Empire, the favorite, closed steadily but insufficiently for third. Mage was home by one length, with Two Phils a half-length better than Angel of Empire. Disarm finished fourth, Hit Show fifth. Loveberry was riding his first Derby. This was Castellano’s 16th, his first win. “It’s a dream,” Castellano said. “I always try hard, never give up.” Castellano, 45, lost some key business a couple years ago but stayed positive, arrested his slide before it became serious, and re-established himself as a desirable rider. He rode Mage in his second start, a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, but gave way to Luis Saez when Mage finished a tough-trip second behind Forte in the Florida Derby. When Saez sided with Tapit Trice, who finished seventh as the second choice Saturday, the mount reopened for Castellano. Castellano is from Venezuela, as is first-time Derby-winning trainer Gustavo Delgado, who has been training in America since 2014 and won his fifth graded stakes race. :: Get ready to bet the Preakness! Join DRF Bets and score a $250 Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet + Free PPs - Promo code: WINNING Mage settled near the back of the field as the Derby pace percolated hot, Verifying leading a pack of five that included Kingsbarns, Reincarnate, Two Phil’s, and Confidence Game through splits of 22.35 seconds and 45.73. No one was likely to finish off that demanding tempo, though Two Phil’s came close, looming a winner in upper stretch, going clear after Loveberry cut the corner and opened a lead. But Mage was too much for him. A debut winner over seven furlongs, Mage was thrown right into graded stakes competition, running an encouraging fourth despite a poor start in the Fountain of Youth. He broke slowly again in the Florida Derby but made a powerful looping move on the far turn before being run down by Forte. Forte, the Derby favorite, was scratched Saturday morning with a bruised hoof. Skinner, Practical Move, Continuar, and Lord Miles also were Derby scratches. Castellano rode a beautiful race. Mage broke better Saturday from post 8, and Castellano took a hard left shortly after the start. The pair was 15th of 18 going into the turn but was saving ground as the leaders intemperately tore off. Mage still raced near the back of the field but began showing signs of life at the five-furlong pole. Steadied slightly there, he had room two or three paths off the fence and already was passing horses at the half-mile pole. Mage really got rolling around the turn, coming wide at the three-eighths marker, and by the quarter pole he was fifth, only a couple lengths behind Two Phils. The margin had narrowed by the eighth pole, Mage clearly going better than Two Phils, overtaking him at the half-furlong marker and going on to a Venezuelan victory. After six furlongs in 1:10.11 and a mile in 1:36.06, Mage stopped the timer in a solid 2:01.57. He paid $32.42 as the seventh choice. Behind Hit Show in fifth came Derma Sotogake, Tapit Trice, Raise Cain, Rocket Can, Confidence Game, Sun Thunder, Mandarin Hero, Reincarnate, Kingsbarns, King Russell, Verifying, Jace’s Road, and Cyclone Mischief. Mage is owned by OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and CMNWLTH. A son of Good Magic and the mare Puca, by Derby winner Big Brown, Mage was bred in Kentucky by Grandview Equine. Lightly raced, vastly talented, and the winner of the 149th Kentucky Derby. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.