Mage will bypass Breeders' Cup Classic * The Racing Biz

Mage will bypass Breeders’ Cup Classic

Frank Vespe
October 29, 2023

Kentucky Derby winner Mage will bypass the Breeders’ Cup Classic after spiking a temperature, his trainer announced on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, Sunday morning. Mage became the second well-regarded three-year-old to be forced out of the Classic in recent days, following Haskell Stakes winner Geaux Rocket Ride, who sustained a condylar fracture during a work.

Mage “presented a feverish state this morning and we have noticed symptoms of loss appetite [sic],” Gustavo Delgado wrote. “Given the proximity to the race we feel that it’s best for the horse to skip the Classic.”

Mage won his debut race at Gulfstream Park in January and arrived at the Kentucky Derby after a runner-up finish, behind two-year-old champion Forte, in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. In Louisville, he benefited from a swift early pace to run down Two Phil’s in the final furlong to win by a length.

Since the Derby, Mage has run three times. He ran third in the Preakness in a race with a sluggish early pace that blunted his late kick and then was second, behind Geaux Rocket Ride, in the Haskell. Most recently he was a bland seventh in the Travers, won by Arcangelo.

But Delgado said in his post that, prior to the fever, he was pleased with how Mage, a son of Good Magic, was heading towards the Classic.

“We were very enthusiastic about the condition that the horse was going through, and despite how disappointed we feel right now, we are confident in a speedy recovery,” he wrote.

Mage, a winner twice in seven career starts, has earned more than $2.5 million. He is owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and CMNWLTH. His connections have indicated they expect Mage to return as a four-year-old.