While Mage wasn't a true dark horse, the win was still a surprise—and a welcome one for some bettors. A $2 wager on Mage to win paid out $32.42, according to Jace Evans of USA Today, while a $2 exacta wager paid $330.44.
Mage's late break was thrilling but was all part of Castellano's patient plan for the race.
"I just let him roll little by little," Castellano said, per Bill Marshall of the Aiken Standard. "I knew when I asked him, it would be like pushing a button. I knew he would give me everything he had."
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportMage wins the Kentucky Derby 🏆🏇<br><br>WHAT A FINISH.<br><br>(via <a href="">@NBCSports</a>)<a href="">
With a Derby victory in hand, Mage's racing team will think carefully about the next steps and the Preakness.
"Mage has to want the Triple Crown," co-owner Ramiro A. Restrepo told reporters. "... It's never going to be at the expense of the horse. If my guy is feeling the way he's feeling, then on to Baltimore and crab cakes we go."
The health of the horse will be front and center following what has been a tragic week at Churchill Downs. A total of seven horses died during the week, including two trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. His suspension led to the scratching of Lord Miles from the race.
"The suspension prohibits Joseph, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by Joseph, from entering horses in races or applying for stall occupancy at all CDI-owned racetracks," Churchill Downs Inc. said in a statement.
Forte was scratched on the day of the race because of a bruised foot.
"We did X-rays, we brought in vets, the state vets came in, and they watched him every single day," Forte's co-owner Mike Repole said in an interview with FanDuel TV (h/t Beth Harris of the Associated Press. "He's fine. He probably needs a couple more days [to recover]."
It's fair to wonder how Forte would have fared if allowed to run. The Todd A. Pletcher-trained colt was on a five-race winning streak, including at the Florida Derby, where Mage was the runner-up.
And perhaps, the horse that last finished behind the favorite shouldn't have been 15-1 after the favorite was scratched. There's a chance that Forte and Mage will go head-to-head again at the Preakness.
