Mage Wins Kentucky Derby After Leader Forte Scratches, In Year 7 Horses Die

LOUISVILLE, KY — Long shot Mage won the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, on a day overshadowed by the deaths of two more horses.

The odds for Mage were 15-1 following early favorite Forte's scratch from the Run of the Roses. He only had one win in his career before winning by a length. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano was in the saddle.

Forte was the early 3-1 favorite to win in a seemingly wide-open field of 19 horses, a year after long-shot Rich Strike won the 148th Derby; however, the horse was scratched Saturday hours before the race due to concerns about a bruised right front foot.

It was the fifth scratch this week from the race, the first time that many were scratched since 1936. That year 19 horses were entered and 14 ran.

Two more horses died Saturday, bringing the total to seven in the days up to the race. Co-owner of Forte Mike Repole said the deaths are "part of racing, and...the cruel part" in an interview with FanDuel TV.

For the second straight year, the Derby is without Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer with a record-tying six victories will soon complete a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc. He was punished after Medina Spirit flunked a post-race drug test.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized according to the Associated Press. These horses were both injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.