LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 04: Mage runs on the rack during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two more horses died in the hours before Mage crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making it seven in all and casting a shadow over the 149th edition of the world's most famous race.Mage had only one victory in three previous races before covering 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 under jockey Javier Castellano.
He and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela.Two Phil's and Angel of Empire followed Mage to the finish line in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE___Two more horses died, making it seven in all, before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and early favorite Forte was scratched with an injury in another series of blows to a sport already reeling from doping suspensions and breakdowns."This is part of racing and it’s the cruel part," Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV.Spectators pose for pictures at the entrance of Churchill Downs prior to the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 06, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were injured in their races on the Derby undercard, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at Churchill Downs in recent days.